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PREHISTORIC  SISKIYOU  ISLAND 


AND 


MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON 


BY 

C.  B.  Watson 


Copyright  January  4,    191M 

By  C.   b.  Watso* 


WSJ 


To   my  daughter,    Lilian,   and  son,   Chandler   VV.,    1   dedicate 
this  little  hook. 

I  have  observed  with  pleasure  the  interest  that  each 
of  you  take  in  the  study  of  nature  and  have  felt  that  ray 
own  observations  of  the  country  where  you  were  born  and 
with  which  you  have,  in  a  measure,  become  familiar,  might 
not  be  a  matter  of  indifference  to  you. 

I  therefore  present  it  as  a  token  of  my  love  and  esteem 
and  as  evidence  of  my  approval  of  the  manner  in  which 
each  of  you  are  grappling  with  the  problems  of  life.  I  am 
sure  that  close  observation  of  the  material  world  about  you 
and  an  application  of  the  lessons  you  will  learn  there  will  be 
of  great  assistance  to  you. 

Affectionately  your   father, 

C.    B.    WATSON. 


M658941 


TO  THE  READER: 

I  do  not  present  the  following  pages  as,  in  any  sense 
a  scientific  discussion  of  the  subjects  treated,  but  as  the 
result  of  many  years  of  study  in  which  I  have  taken  great 
pleasure.  The  country  is  new  and  the  strenuous  business 
of  life  does  not  allow  every  one  to  become  familiar  with  all 
the  features  of  moment  that  pertain  even  to  a  circumscribed 
area  about  him.  Yet  there  are  very  few  people  who  arc 
not  called  upon  often  by  friends  at  a  distance  for  informatioi 
such  as  I  believe  this  little  volume  contains  and  who,  with- 
out some  source  to  draw  from  would  not  be  able  to  give 
it. 

The  work  is  in  no  sense  fiction  as  its  title  might  imply 
to  some.  The  country  described  was  at  one  time  an  island 
A  few  of  the  first  chapters  may  seem  to  some  readers  as 
prolix  and  unnecessarily  detailed  in  the  facts  presented  t( 
prove  the  hypothesis.  I  am  sure,  however,  that  a  close 
reading  of  these  will  render  the  remainder  of  the  work 
more  interesting  and  intelligible.  It  is  a  study  of  nature 
in  some  of  her  most  interesting  and  valuable  features.  The 
soil  and  climate  of  any  country  is  a  matter  of  first  conceri 
to  its  residents  and  to  prospective  inhabitants.  It  is  no; 
less  important  to  know  the  whys  and  wherefores,  and  these 
I  have  attempted  to  suggest. 

Nature  study  is  receiving  more  and  more  attention  a^ 
we  progress  along  the  line  of  advancing  civilization  and  i 
profess  nothing  more  than  a  desire  to  enlist  a  closer  obser 
vation  and  study  of  it  in  some  essentials  that  I  believ* 
are  neglected. 

Ashland,  Oregon,  January  A.  D.,  1909. 

C.  B.  WATSON. 


INDEX. 

Page 

The    Pioneer     9 

Prehistoric  Siskiyou  Island 17 

Examination  and  Proof  of  the  Borders  of  the  Island   .  .  23 

Grizzly  Mountain  and  Mineral  Springs    29 

A*  View   From   Grizzly  Mountain    38 

Climate  and  Soil  of  Rogue  River  Valley 43 

Scenic  Attractions  and  How  to  View  Them 50 

Particular  Examination  of  the  Siskiyous    60 

A  Ramble  Through  and  Over  the  Siskiyous 69 

Continuing  the  Ramble SO 

From  Waldo  to  Crescent  City  and  Up  the  Coast  to  the 

Coquille  River    87 

Bandon,    the    Coquille    and    Coos    Bay    Shipwreck    and 

Storm     9  7 

The  Sea  in  a  Tempest,  the  Umpqua-River  and  Valley.  .  109 

Lime  and  Its  Uses  in  Nature I  1  s 

Exploring  the  Great  Caverns    132 

Review  and  Conclusion;  A  Day  Dream 1  42 


The  Snow  Bank. 

The  wind  that  whistled  o'er  the  ridge 

And  gently  dropped  its  soft,  white  load, 
Till  each  rill  had  a  crystal  bridge 

And  neither  peak  nor  canyon  showed, 
Has  passed.       'Tis  August's  clear,  hot  day; 

The  red  sun  tells  of  fall's  advance, 
And  every  blighting,  scorching  ray 

Plays  tunes  that  make  the  hot  air  dance. 

The  peaks  are  bare,  but  on  each  slope, 

Close  nestled  in   the  shade  below, 
A  thirsty  country's  only  hope 

And  parching  drought's  one  deadly  foe, 
With  surface  calm  and  cold  and  white 

And  yet  a  world  of  power  within, 
Lies  one  vast  mass  of  living  light; 

Some  mighty  river's  origin. 

Rare,  dainty  trees  stand  grouped  around 

A  thousand  tiny  water-falls. 
Moss  rimmed,  fern  draped,  half  under  ground 

Far  down  the  slope  a  brooklet  brawls. 
A  tree-fringed  park,  a  grassy  glade, 

Deep  wooded  canyons  far  below; 
In   such   a   setting   Nature   laid 

This  priceless  gem,  this  bank  of  snow. 

C.  W.  W. 


Prehistoric  Siskiyou  Island  and 
Marble  Halls  of  Oregon. 


Chapter  I. 
THE   PIONEER. 

"Nature  will  be  reported.  All  things  are 
engaged  in  writing  their  history.  The  plant, 
the  pebble,  goes  attended  by  its  shadow.  The 
rolling  rock  leaves  its  scratches  on  the  mountain, 
the  river  its  channel  in  the  soil;  the  animal  its 
bones  in  the  stratum;  the  fern  and  leaf  their 
modest  epitaph  in  the  coal.  The  falling  drop 
makes  its  sculpture  in  the  sand  or  stone.  Not 
a  foot  steps  in  the  snow,  or  along  the  ground, 
but  prints  characters  more  or  less  lasting,  a  map 
of  its  march.  Every  act  of  the  man  inscribes  it- 
self in  the  memories  of  his  fellows,  and  in  his 
own  manners  and  face.  The  air  is  full  of  sounds; 
the  sky  of  tokens;  the  ground  is  all  memoranda 
and  signatures,  and  every  object  covered  over  with 
hints,  which  speak  to  the  intelligent." — (Emer- 
son). 

Nature  is  everywhere  striving  to  be  understood.  For 
ages  upon  ages  it  has  been  writing  its  messages,  and  work- 
ing to  accomplish  a  conscious  being  that  could  read  them. 
Primeval  man  took  up  the  task  as  necessity  compelled 
him.  Hunger  sent  him  to  the  chase,  which  was  his  first 
enterprise.  His  wants  were  the  sole  stimulants,  which  by 
degrees  aroused  sluggish  thought  to  action  and  gave  birth 
to  invention.  Accident  brought  forth  discoveries,  which 
in  turn  were  utilized.  Each  acquisition  thus  gained,  in- 
creased, strengthened  and  extended  his  faculties.  The 
conscious  man  was  developing.  His  knowledge  has  been 
gained  by  a  kindergarten  process.  If  we  look  about  us 
we  wonder  at  the  colossal  strides  intelligence  has  taken; 
but  if  we  look  back  down  the  ages  and  mark  the  lapse  of 
time  since  man  first  appeared  and  the  slow  advance  he  has 
made,  we  find  that  the  evolution  of  conscious  intelligence 
has  only  kept  pace  with  the  evolution  of  organic   matter. 


10  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

We  boast  of  the  progressiveness  of  this  age  and  the  mastery 
we  have  gained  over  the  forces  of  nature.  The  ocean  has 
been  subdued,  in  a  way,  and  has  been  appropriated  as  the 
highway  of  nations.  Electricity  and  steam  have  been  har- 
nessed and  made  to  bear  burdens  and  messages  and 
to  light  the  footsteps  of  further  conscious  progress.  From 
groping  after  snails  and  bugs,  in  search  of  food,  and  climb- 
ing trees  to  avoid  more  ferocious  animals  than  himself, 
man  is  now  engaged  in  missions  of  mercy  and  scanning  the 
heavens  with  his  telescope  in  his  efforts  to  fathom  the 
mystery  of  the  universe.  He  looks  within  and  thinks  he 
recognizes  a  dual  quality  in  himself,  and  constructs  phil- 
osophies to  account  for  his  being;  the  whence  and  whither, 
from  which  and  to  which  his  destiny  is  leading  him. 
Charged  with  a  nervous  impulse  he  braves  arctic  regions 
and  dark  continents  and  ferrets  out  new  secrets,  which, 
when  reported,  arouse  his  fellows  to  further  conquest. 

New  countries  peopled  with  savage  men  are  sought  and 
subdued  to  the  progressive  characteristics  of  the  age,  and 
the  fittest  survive.  And  yet  the  pioneer  into  such  regions 
seems  not  to  have  been  conscious  of  the  fact  that  he  was 
but  a  messenger  of  that  mysterious  spirit  of  progress 
which  moves  so  strangely  in  and  about  him.  The  spirit 
of  adventure  is  but  nature's  leading  string  for  development, 
and  whether  it  led  into  untamed  wilds  or  the  marts  of 
commerce, 

"  He  trudged  along,  unknowing  what  he  sought, 
And  whistled  as  he  went,  for  want  of  thought." 

"Westward  the  star  of  empire"  led  the  pioneer  across 
the  continent  to  the  Pacific  coast  but  yesterday,  lured  by 
the  promises  and  promptings  of  nature.  Here  she  was  to 
open  up  one  of  her  richest  store  houses,  and  in  some  mys- 
terious way  he  was  to  reap  such  plethora  of  wealth  as  is 
promised  at  Oriental  fairs.  He  braved  mountains  and 
deserts  and  was  ever  on  the  watch  for  the  savage  that 
haunted  his  way,  lighted  ever  by  the  pillar  of  cloud  and 
fire  that  burned  in  his  veins  the  command  "Onward,"  to  the 
verge  of  the  continent  and  Pacific's  surf,  where  he  planted 
the  flag  and  pronounced  the  sacred  word  "Home." 

"  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 

His    wonders   to    perform, 
He  plants  his  footsteps  on  the  sea 

And    rides    upon    the    storm." 

One  can  not  well  avoid  the  thought  that  the  time  for 
spreading   a   higher   intelligence   had   come   and    these   con- 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        11 

scions  beings,  though  unconscious  of  the  purpose,  moved 
by  the  spirit  of  the  times,  were  allured  to  a  destiny  that  has 
marked  an  epoch  in  the  world.  These  mountains  and 
valleys  were  ripe  for  exploitation,  and  the  inhabitants  were 
unsuited  for  the  purpose.  These  pioneers,  travel-stained 
and  weary,  viewed  the  land  of  promise  from  the  mountain 
tops  with  mingled  feelings  of  hope  and  despair.  These 
valleys  were  fair  to  look  upon,  but  the  full  value  of  the 
land  had  not  been  told  to  them.  It  is  but  little  more- than 
half  a  century  since  the  first  of  these  adventurers  looked 
upon  the  Rogue  River  valley  from  the  high  summits  of 
the  Cascade  mountains,  and  watched  the  spots  of  sunshine 
and  shadow  playing  hide  and  seek  among  the  forest  clad 
eminences  that  afforded  a  border  and  decorated  frame  work 
about  a  beautiful  picture.  The  diversified  wealth  of  the 
land  was  unknown  to  them,  and  immediate,  pressing  de- 
mands permitted  no  time  to  be  devoted  to  cataloguing  the 
resources  of  their  new  home.  Indians,  sometimes  friendly 
and  sometimes  hostile,  surrounded  them  and  "eternal  vigil- 
ance was  the  price"  they  were  required  to  pay  for  the 
privilege  of  occupying  the  land  they  had  chosen. 

We  can  easily  picture  the  eagerness  with  which  these 
adventurers  selected  their  claims  and  began  the  operations 
of  home-building.  Still  they  were  unconscious  of  the  im- 
portant part  they  were  playing  in  the  drama  of  laying  the 
foundation  for  so  important  an  extension  of  conscious  in- 
telligence. Here  was  laid  the  corner  stone  by  them,  for  a 
republic  of  intelligent  growth  in  all  that  goes  to  make  up 
progressive  activity.  The  country  was  new  to  them  and 
unknown  to  the  mass  of  mankind.  Since  that  time  the 
expansive  energy  of  intellect,  well  directed,  has  wrung 
from  the  wilderness  a  valuable  possession;  has  added  to 
the  wealth  of  the  world  untold  millions,  and  aided  in  de- 
ciphering many  of  nature's  records  that  were  never  before 
read.  Here  has  been  developed  a  land  more  varied  in  its 
resources  than  almost  any  other.  Every  year  has  added 
to  the  knowledge  of  its  people  something  new  in  the  value 
of  their  acquisition.  It  is  not  strange  that  so  vigorous  a 
commonwealth  should  have  been  built  on  so  excellent  a 
foundation.  These  pioneers  may  well  have  been  consider- 
ed sturdy  yeomen.  None  but  the  brave  and  energetic 
would  have  undertaken  so  arduous  a  task,  and  such  an- 
cestry was  bound  to  furnish  a  worthy  posterity.  Fifty 
years  is  a  short  time  to  make  such  changes  in.  But  that 
conscious  intelligence  all  over  the  world  was  beginning  to 
read  the  messages  that  nature  had  been  writing  from  the 


12  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

beginning,  and  had  begun  to  look  for  them  in  the  sands 
of  the  seashore,  the  rocks  of  the  mountain  side,  along  the 
rivulets  and  rivers,  in  the  forests  and  the  prairies.  The 
mines  attracted  thousands  and  the  gold  enriched  many. 
Hamlets  grew  to  be  towns  and  the  towns  to  be  cities. 
Every  indentation  of  the  coast  where  vessels  could  safely 
anchor  became  a  port  where  cargo  was  discharged  for  the 
interior  and  pack  trails  were  built  to  connect  them  with 
the  valleys  and  the  mines  in  the  mountains.  Such  activity 
soon  put  a  quietus  upon  depredations  by  the  Indians. 
Though  the  Pioneer  Associations  are  suffering  a  rapid  de- 
pletion, yet  each  annual  reunion  sees  a  goodly  number  of 
the  heroes  and  heroines  of  those  early  days  gathered  for 
social  banquet  and  to  rehearse  their  experiences.  Indian 
fights,  bear  hunts,  gold  excitements  and  a  review  of  their 
trials  in  crossing  the  plains  became  the  order  of  the  day, 
the  whole  rounded  off  with  resolutions,  reading  memorials, 
speech-making  and  a  rich  banquet  of  good  things.  Now 
the  mountain  streams  furnish  the  power  and  che  valleys 
are  lighted  with  electricity.  In  the  more  thickly  settled 
portions  many  homes  are  illuminated  by  turning  on  the 
current;  neighbors  visit  by  telephone;  the  arrival  of  the 
mails  is  calculated  to  the  minute,  for  railroads  followed 
where  tne  pioneer  blazed  the  way.  In  the  section  which 
will  be  treated  of  in  this  little  volume,  thousands  of  acres 
of  apples,  peaches,  pears,  apricots,  prunes,  cherries,  grapes 
and  berries,  furnish  their  products  to  all  the  great  markets 
of  the  country  and  are  even  carried  to  foreign  parts.  The 
label  "Rogue  river,"  is  sufficient  to  pass  the  pack  without 
question  and  at  the  highest  price.  The  magnificence  of 
Oregon's  forests  has  set  the  lumbering  world  crazy  and  the 
courts  are  trying  to  straighten  out  the  muddle  resulting 
from  the  excellence  and  abundance  of  her  products. 

Perpetual  snow  in  the  higher  mountains  contrasts  with 
?rass  perpetually  green  in  the  valleys,  each  in  sight  of,  the 
other.  As  we  proceed  in  subsequent  chapters  the  variety 
and  quality  of  the  resources  of  "Prehistoric  Siskiyou  Is- 
land" will  be  made  apparent.  The  reasons  for  much  that 
he  enjoys,  the  pioneer  has  not  yet  learned,  and  I  shall 
endeavor  to  tell  some  of  it  to  him.  The  past  fifty  years 
have  been  fast  and  furious  and  but  little  time  has  been 
given  to  the  average  citizen  to  learn  the  whys  and  where- 
fores of  things  that  require  a  little  scientific  investigation. 

In  the  matter  of  climate  and  soil  the  country  to  be 
treated  is  almost  unique.  The  climate  is  not  exactly  like 
any  other  on  the  coast,  and  for  reasons  easily  made  appar- 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        13 

ent.  The  soils  are  equally  rare  and  as  easily  explained, 
and  the  mineral  wealth  is  more  varied  than  in  any  other 
region  of  which  I  have  information.  The  scenic  attrac- 
tions and  healthgiving  conditions  are  not  excelled.  How 
fortunate  then,  were  the  early  settlers  in  choosing  this 
favored  region.  Accident  and  energy,  impelled  by  that 
spirit  that  is  mysteriously  moving  the  world,  are  respon- 
sible for  their  good  fortune. 

It  seems  that  each  epoch  has  had  its  rise  because  of 
some  frenzy  that  like  a  malady  settled  upon  its  chief  actors. 
Immediately  preceding  the  discovery  of  America,  the  wealth 
of  the  Indies  aroused  the  cupidity  of  maritime  nations  and 
Cohimbus  in  seeking  a  more  direct  route  to  that  Golconda, 
sailed  west  and  discovered  America.  The  wealth  of  the 
new  world  aroused  greater  frenzy  in  the  greed  for  gold, 
and  buccaneering,  robbery  and  wholesale  murder  followed. 
This  again  was  followed  by  the  frenzy  of  conquest  and 
pillage  in  which  Spain  and  Portugal  sowed  the  seeds  of 
their  own  ruin,  because  they  took  no  thought  of  the  future, 
nor  recognized  either  the  principles  of  judicious  commer- 
cialism nor  human  rights.  Great  Britain,  with  no  less  of 
avarice,  but  with  more  craftiness  and  foresight,  saved  the 
goose  but  stole  the  eggs.  The  coming  of  the  pilgrims  to 
Plymouth  was  the  result  of  a  religious  frenzy  and  persecu- 
tion, which  was  practiced  even  by  the  devotees  that  fled 
from  it.  The  spirit  of  conquest  has  ever  been  irresistible 
where  the  stake  seemed  worth  the  candle  and  is  heighten- 
ed by  the  spirit  of  adventure  for  its  own  sake.  It  seems 
to  be  a  human  principle  but  seldom  practiced  humanely. 
The  Pilgrims  fleeing  from  persecution,  seemed  to  be  only 
the  swampers  for  a  great  army  of  adventurers  that  follow- 
ed and  overran  the  American  continent.  Here,  upon  the 
wreck  and  ruin  of  many  nations  that  fell  before  them,  they 
established  the  Great  Republic  that  has  gained  the  distinc- 
tion of  leading  the  world  on  a  high  moral  plane  in  its 
governmental  policies.  In  the  apparent  pursuit  of  a  des- 
tined purpose,  "Westward  the  star  of  Empire  took  its  way," 
only  to  be  temporarily  stopped  by  the  shores  of  the  Pacific. 
With  irresistible  force,  this  conscious  intelligence  has 
broken  down  every  barrier  and  overrode  every  obstacle, 
alternately  dealing  in  mercy  and  crime,  with  prayers  and 
curses,  now  helping  the  needy  and  anon  murdering  the 
friendless,  but  withal,  climbing  higher  in  the  scale  of  pro- 
gress. The  fields  of  conquest  by  superior  people  over 
inferior  ones,  seems  almost  exhausted  on  the  old  lines,  but. 
new  ones  are  being  found. 


14  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

The  frenzy  of  today  is  to  be  seen  in  the  exercise  of  the 
spirit  of  commercialism  along  ever-varying  lines.  The 
records  and  messages  Nature  has  written  are  being  read, 
and  through  t  \e  knowledge  gained  her  laws  are  being 
better  understood  and  applied.  She  is  giving  up  her  sec- 
rets and  crafty  commercialism  is  making  monopolies  of 
them  to  gratify  that  same  greed  for  gain  that  in  the  past 
has  fostered  conquest,  pillage  and  murder.  The  commer- 
cial buccaneers  of  today,  like  those  of  Spain  and  Portugal, 
are  sowing  the  seeds  of  their  own  destruction.  Gambling 
and  speculation  are  the  order  of  the  day.  The  great  cities 
with  their  .sky-scrapers  and  vice,  allure  the  adventurers  as 
the  candle  does  the  moth,  and  with  the  same  result,  leg- 
itimate exploitation  of  the  soil  is  largely  neglected  and 
victims  to  ruthless  greed  fall  before  the  moving  army  of 
vandals  as  in  the  days  of  the  Incas  and  Aztecs.  The 
wealth  of  the  land  is  drawn  to  the  great  cities  and  much 
of  the  best  blood  of  the  country  is  drawn  after  it,  allured 
by  the  glitter.  The  frenzy  is  fast  and  furious  and  the 

corresponding  development  of  the  soil  and  the  building 
up. of  country  homes  are  neglected,  though  garden  spots 
lie  untouched,  waiting  for  the  malady  to  pass  and  the 
homeseekers  to  return.  The  rumblings,  are  heard  all  over 
the  land  like  earth  tremors  that  precede  the  shock;  and 
the  shocks  are  not  altogether  lacking.  Little  more  than 
a  year  ago  the  country  was  in  the  throes  of  one  that  came 
as  mysteriously  and  unheralded  as  did  the  destruction  of 
San  Francisco. 

I  was  at  Portland  at  the  time,  and  what  I  saw  there 
was  a  mild  attack  as  compared  with  that  in  other  com- 
mercial centers.  Commercial  Clubs,  Boards  of  Trade, 
Chambers  of  Commerce  and  the  newspapers  were  sending 
to  the  world  daily  statistics  of  unprecedented  growth  and 
prosperity.  Strangers  thronged  the  streets  and  the  city 
was  a  moving  picture  show  in  perpetual  performance.  Men 
and  women  streamed  in  and  out  of  the  banks  and  spent 
their  money  like  patriots  shedding  their  blood  in  war  times. 
The  hilarious  dance  was  like  that  at  Belgium's  capitol  just 
preceding  the  battle  at  Waterloo.  Then  came  a  proclama- 
tion from  the  Governor  and  the  banks  closed  with  a  "dull 
sickly  thud."  People  looked  at  each  other  in  startled  as- 
tonishment and  tried  to  read  the  riddle  in  each  other's 
faces.  Men  with  deposits  were  refused  at  the  banks  that 
held  their  money.  The  brakes  were  set  so  hard  that  the 
wheels  of  trade  were  flattened  by  the  sudden  slide  over 
unyielding   rails.         Contracts    made    and    not    begun,    were 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        15 

cancelled,  and  contractors  in  the  midst  of  their  work  were 
brought  face  to  face  with  ruin.  Workmen,  who  the  day 
before  went  whistling  to  their  tasks  with  well  filled  pails, 
stood  on  the  street  corners  stunned  and  despondent.  The 
newspapers  continued  to  scout  the  notion  that  there  was 
any  serious  danger,  and  assured  all  that  the  sudden  con- 
gestion would  yield  in  a  few  days.  Weeks  rolled  on  and 
the  holiday  proclamation  was  renewed  from  day  to  day. 
The  doors  of  the  courts  were  closed  and  the  wheels  of  Jus- 
tice were  stopped.  Lawyers  discussed  the  situation  in  the 
corridors  of  the  hotels  and  on  the  streets  and  sighed  for 
the  fees  that  were  almost  at  hand  when  the  bolt  fell.  Men 
languished  in  jail  and  no  order  could  be  made  to  determine 
their  fate.  Bargain  counters  ceased  to  be  alluring  and 
lunch  counters  increased  their  business.  From  every  part 
of  the  country  came  the  same  sound,  the  dull  grinding  of 
machinery,  yet  in  languid  motion,  but  from  which  most  of 
the  power  had  been  withdrawn.  In  a  little  while  the 
crash  of  breaking  banks  was  heard  over  the  land  and  a 
feeling  of  impending  calamity  commenced  like  the  silent 
warnings  of  a  storm  at  midnight.  Here  was  a  financial 
panic  at  a  time  of  the  greatest  prosperity. 

If  the  misused  capital  had  been  invested  in  the  legit- 
imate exploitation  and  development  of  such  regions  as  I 
shall  describe  in  the  following  pages  such  a  panic  would 
not  have  occurred.  If  the  thousands  thrown  out  of  em- 
ployment had  been  more  generally  engaged  in  the  improve- 
ment of  eligible  locations  in  this  broad  land  that  are  still 
unappropriated,  the  cities  where  these  men  were  congregat- 
ed would  not  have  been  discussing  the  problem  of  feeding 
the  unemployed;  so  much  crime  would  not  be  reported  in 
«very  daily  paper.  Many  of  the  present  idle  men  in  Ore- 
gon could  yet  find  eligible,  unoccupied  spots  in  the  "pre- 
historic island"  which  I  shall  describe  in  this  book.  The 
booming  of  the  cities,  it  seems  to  me,  is  out  of  proportion 
to  the  attention  given  to  the  rural  districts,  upon  the  devel- 
opment of  which  the  cities  must  depend.  The  country 
must  bear  the  expense  and  should  be  fostered  by  every  en- 
terprise dependent  on  it.  Instead  of  fostering  and  stimu- 
lating further  development  of  this  new  and  wonderful  land, 
greedy  commercialism  but  emulates  the  greed  of  the  buc- 
caneers of  old,  laying  a  heavy  hand  upon  it  and  making  it 
to  groan  under  unjust  tribute. 

The  mountains  and  valleys  of  which  I  shall  speak 
possess  the  resources  of  a  veritable  kingdom  of  wealth,  but 
it    needs  capital   for   development.        Railroads   and   trolley 


16  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

lines  are  needed  and  would  be  made  to  pay  in  the  develop- 
ment of  a  country  so  rich  in  material  resources,  and  to  ac- 
commodate the  tourists  and  sight-seers  who  would  flock 
hither.  The  section  to  which  I  shall  direct  attention  con- 
tains about  ten  thousand  square  miles  of  territory  and 
about  forty  thousand  people.  It  would  easily  support  a 
quarter  of  a  million  and  add  hundreds  of  millions  of  dollars 
to  the  wealth  of  the  state.  Go  with  me  and  I  will  show  it 
to  you,  and  that  we  may  the  better  understand  it  we  will 
try  to  read  the  records  that  Nature  has  written  and  from 
which  we  shall  learn  the  secrets  of  its  climate  and  soil;  its 
mineral,  the  wonders  of  its  forests,  gardens,  orchards  and 
fields,  and  by  no  means  the  least  will  be  its  wonderful 
scenic   beauty. 


Chapter  II. 
PREHISTORIC  SISKIYOU  ISLAND. 

"Come    forth    into    the    light    of    things; 
Let    nature    be    your    teacher." 

The  late  Dr.  Condon,  Professor  of  Geology  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Oregon,  in  his  charming  little  book  entitled  "'The 
Two  Islands,"  has  outlined  in  a  very  interesting  way,  the 
physical  growth  of  the  state,  using  the  two  islands  as  a 
nucleus  from  which  that  growth  proceeded.  He  has  car- 
ried us  to  the  various  lake  and  sea  beaches  and  presented 
the  records  of  the  history  of  that  growth  through  the  fos- 
sils from  cretaceous  times  down  to  the  present.  He  tells 
us  that  in  the  cretaceous  era  there  was  a  great  island  oc- 
cupying the  southwestern  part  of  Oregon  and  northwestern 
part  of  California,  to  which  he  has  given  the  name  "Sis- 
kiyou Island,"  and  another  occupying  the  northeastern  por- 
tion of  the  state  which  he  has  designated  as  "Shoshone 
Island."  The  U.  S.  Geological  Department  has  recorded 
this  "Siskiyou  Island"  as  a  cretaceous  body  and  named  it 
"The  Klamath  Group"  of  mountains.  The  geological  re- 
cords contained  in  the  rocks  and  fossils  show  that  there 
was  a  time  when  it  was  probable  that  no  land  existed  above 
the  waters  of  the  ocean,  eastward  of  this  island  nearer  than 
the  foot  of  the  Rocky  mountains.  To  the  northeast  three 
hundred  mils  away,  Shoshone  Island  was  an  isolated  frag- 
ment of  land  surrounded  by  a  watery  waste  and  to  the 
southeast  rose  the  "High  Sierras"  overlooking  a  sea  to  the 
east  and  west. 

Perhaps  the  best  possible  way  to  attract  public  atten- 
tion to  such  a  subject,  in  this  highly  commercial  age,  is  to 
see  it  from  a  utilitarian  point  of  view.  For  instance,  the 
three  great  seagirt  regions  named,  have  been  the  scenes  of 
the  most  active  and  profitable  mining  in  California  and 
Oregon.  One  having  made  this  observation,  if  interested 
either  in  the  study  of  geology  or  mining,  would  naturally 
seek  for  some  corresponding  features  in  these  three  sec- 
tions. First,  he  would  perhaps  notice  that  granite  enters 
largely  into  the  structure  of  each,  and  that  each  is  surround- 
ed by  formations  entirely  different.  The  Blue  mountains 
(Shoshone  Island),  are  surrounded  by  the  Great  Basin, 
which  also  lies  to  the  east  of  the  other  two.  Lapping  up 
against  the  edges  of  each  of  these  groups  of  mountains,  lie 
stratified  formations  consisting  of  gravels,  shale,  sandstone, 


18  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

etc.  It  would  be  observed  also  that  in  many  places  these 
beds  are  auriferous,  i.e.  gold  bearing.  The  character  of 
the  gravels  resting  against  the  base  of  these  old  islands 
also  shows  their  sources  to  be  the  higher  mountains  at 
the  base  of  which  they  lie.  The  lapping  of  the  sandstone 
shows  that  its  bedding  was  covered  with  water  at  the  time 
the  sand  was  deposited,  and  the  marine  shells  which  are 
the  fossils  contained  in  the  sandstone,  show  the  water  to 
have  been  the  ocean,  or  an  arm  of  it.  The  gravel  and  con- 
glomerate upon  which  the  sandstone  rests  consists  of  round- 
ed pebbles,  which  by  their  own  form  suggest  that  they  were 
made  so  by  stream  action  as  distinguished  from  beach  ac- 
tion. The  beds  contain  water  worn  fragments  of  granite 
and  other  rocks  peculiar  to  the  portion  of  the  mountain 
from  which  they  came.  If  these  beds  contain  granite, 
and  no  granite  can  be  found  except  in  the  direction  of  the 
higher  mountains,  we  would  naturally  look  in  that  direction 
for  our  granite  formation.  If  the  gravel  also  contains  gold 
mixed  with  the  granite,  we  would  for  the  same  reason  seek 
its  source  in  the  same  direction.  It  is  a  pretty  well  estab- 
lished fact  that  broken  and  eroded  gold-bearing  quartz 
ledges  constitute  the  sources  from  which  gold  placers  have 
been  fed.  We  therefore  trace  the  indications  from  an  auri- 
ferous gravel  deposit  toward  its  source  in  the  gold-bearing 
quartz.  These  observations  will  apply  equally  to  each  of 
the  groups  of  mountain  islands  mentioned.  These  are 
some  of  the  practical  things  that  attract  most  men,  who 
Without  knowing  it,  are  studying  geology.  These  three 
sections  are  so  much  alike  in  many  essential  particulars  that 
men  have  been  led  into  a  study  of  the  phenomena  of  nature 
and  have  not  only  found  the  study  a  seductive  pastime, 
but  a  gateway  to  that  wider  knowledge  of  things  that  has 
changed  the  whole  trend  of  life  and  out  of  adventurers  have 
made  philosophers  and  of  paupers  have  made  men  of  wealth. 
But  we  are  engaged  to  study  nature  at  first  hand  and  not 
to  indulge  too  largely  in  philosophy. 

Without  too  much  of  detail  it  will  be  sufficient  to  sug- 
gest that  geologists  who  have  made  the  subject  a  deep  study, 
who  have  traced  shore-lines  and  studied  the  fossils  and 
stratified  formations,  have  verified  the  fact  that  the  Blue 
mountains  ana  the  Klamath  group  (i.e.  "Siskiyou  Island"), 
were  islands  and  the  High  Sierras  a  continent,  or  a  larger 
island,  at  a  period  in  the  distant  past  when  the  waves  of  the 
ocean  rolled  over  the  spot  where  Shasta  now  stands,  and 
washed  the  foot  of  the  Rocky  mountains.  Wh^t  is  known 
as   the   "High    Sierras",    has   its   northern      limit      between 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OP  OREGON.        19 

Feather  river  and  Pitt  river,  leaving  a  broad  expanse  of 
water  between  the  Sierras  and  Scotts  mountains,  which 
constitute  a  part  of  the  Klamath  group.  This  stretch  of 
water  is  designated  by  Professor  J.  S.  Diller  of  the  U.  S. 
Geological  Service,  as  Lasson  straits  and  furnished  an  out- 
let for  the  great  inland  sea  that  was  then  being  made  by 
the  gradual  emergence  of  the  Cascade  mountains  above  the 
surface  of  the  ocean.  A  careful  study  of  the  country,  its 
formation  and  shore-lines,  has  enabled  the  departments  of 
geology  of  the  United  States  and  California,  to  give  us  a 
reasonable  idea  of  the  time  when  the  Wooly  Bully  moun- 
tains, Scotts  mountains,  the  Siskiyous  and  Rogue  River 
mountains  constituted  an  island  in  the  upper  cretaceous 
period. 

The  term  cretaceous  means  chalky,  from  creta,  "chalk" 
and  refers  to  that  period  when  the  great  chalk  and  lime- 
stone beds  of  Europe  were  being  formed  at  the  bottom  of 
the  ocean.  The  tribolite,  trigonia  and  amonite,  are  forms 
of  shell  fish  that  lived  in  the  ocean  of  that  period,  but  are 
now  extinct.  The  shells  of  these  forms  are  found  plenti- 
fully as  fossils  along  the  shore  line  of  the  old  Siskiyou 
island  and  in  the  chalk  beds  of  Europe.  This  tells  us  that 
here  was  a  great  mountain  island  before  a  considerable  part 
of  Europe  was  above  the  sea.  Its  southern  shore-line  was 
near  the  northern  boundary  of  the  present  Sacramento 
valley.  Yreka  stands  at  its  eastern  shoreline,  Ashland 
and  Jacksonville  in  Oregon  on  its  northeastern  shore.  Its 
course  carries  it  across  the  Siskiyou  mountains  near  where 
the  Southern  Pacific  railroad  crosses.  Thence  its  course  is 
irregularly  toward  the  northwest  until  it  reaches  the  coast 
north  of  Coos  bay  in  Oregon.  Its  southern  shoreline  from 
the  north  end  of  the  Sacramento  valley  is  also,  irregularly 
toward  the  northwest  until  it  reaches  the  ocean  south  of 
the  mouth  of  the  Klamath  river.  This  old  shoreline  can 
be  easily  traced  along  considerable  portions  of  its  length, 
but  is  most  distinct  from  near  the  headwaters  of  the  Sacra- 
mento river  northwardly  to  Rogue  river  in  Oregon. 
Throughout  this  stretch  the  line  is  quite  plain  and  easily 
traced.  At  the  time  when  the  ocean  washed  a  pebbly  beach 
along  the  shores  of  this  prehistoric  island,  Ashland  butte 
and  other  high  peaks  of  the  Siskiyous  reared  their  smoking 
heads  high  into  the  air  and  their  flaming  summits  lit  up  a 
broad  expanse  of  shipless  sea  on  either  side  of  them. 

In  those  primeval  days,  the  leviathan  of  the  deep  long 
since  extinct,  played  in  sportive  mood  where  now  are  beau- 
tiful  valleys  with   fields,   orchards,   cities  and   towns.      The 


20  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

miner  now  toiling  with  pick  and  shovel  uncovers  the  re- 
mains of  mastodon  and  mammoth  without  a  thought  of  the 
story  they  tell.  He  breaks  up  great  slabs  of  sandstone 
rich  in  the  fossil  shells  of  species  now  extinct,  without  a 
thought  of  the  information  they  afford.  Shasta  valley 
was  then  a  bay,  where,  if  vessels  had  existed,  safe  anchor- 
age could  have  been  found  in  a  splendid  land-locked  harbor 
where  the  city  of  Yreka  now  stands.  Ashland,  a  beautiful 
city  of  schools,  colleges  and  churches,  with  a  population  of 
more  than  five  thousand  people,  stands  directly  on  the 
shoreline,  and  every  sandstone  foundation  in  it  bears  the 
shells  of  animals  that  lived  in  the  sea  in  that  far  off  period 
long  before  man  came  to  inhabit  the  earth.  Jacksonville, 
like  Yreka,  occupies  the  site  of  a  land-locked  harbor  in  the 
old  island.  The  mining  fields  of  northern  California  and 
southern  Oregon  lie  within  its  limits.  From  Redding  in 
California  to  Coos  bay  in  Oregon,  miners  have  toiled  and 
sweated  in  search  of  the  yellow  metal,  and  millions  of  dol- 
lars have  yielded  them  reward  around  the  shores  and  in  the 
interior  of  this  prehistoric  home  of  myriads  of  animals  now 
extinct.  Geologically  no  country  offers  more  inducement 
to  the  student;  none  is  richer  in  the  history  it  furnishes, 
nor  in  the  value  of  this  history  to  the  miner,  orchardist  and 
farmer.  Shasta  valley  is  covered  with  numerous  hum- 
mocks, which  on  examination  prove  to  be  extinct  volcanos. 
Mt.  Shasta  is  king  of  the  group,  and  in  the  upheaval  of  the 
Cascade  range,  it  performed  a  very  important  part.  This 
old  island  is  seamed  and  scarred  in  many  places  with  evi- 
dence of  early  volcanic  action,  and  has  been  broken  and 
scratched  by  glaciers.  The  seas  that  washed  it  received 
the  deposits  brought  down  by  streams  and  other  agencies 
for  long  ages.  The  earlier  of  these  deposits  were  covered 
with  sand  that  now  constitutes  the  sandstone  lappings  and 
cliffs  to  be  found  along  its  old  shoreline.  On  top  of  these 
deposits  of  sandstone  at  Yreka,  Cottonwood,  near  Ashland, 
at  Jacksonville,  Willow  Springs  and  many  other  places,  rich 
placer  gold  mines  have  been  worked  with  profit  for  more 
than  fifty  years.  In  each  of  these  places  it  has  been  dis- 
covered from  time  to  time,  that  underneath  the  sandstone 
there  are  beds  of  gravel  bearing  gold  and  corresponding  in 
richness  with  the  placers  directly  above  and  sometimes 
richer.  In  every  instance  it  has  been  found  that  these 
sub-deposits  correspond  in  character  with  those  on  the  sur- 
face, carrying  granite,  quartz,  porphyry,  etc.  The  forma- 
tions from  whence  these  old  gravels  have  come  are  only 
found  in  the  high  mountains  in  the  interior  of  this  old  island. 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        21 

It  follows  that  the  source  of  the  deposits  on  the  top  and  un- 
derneath the  sandstone  is  the  same,  and  only  to  be  found  on 
the  landside  of  the  old  shoreline.  As  we  leave  the  shore 
and  proceed  away  from  the  island  and  climb  the  opposite 
slops  we  find  stratum  after  stratum,  one  above  the  other, 
consisting  of  gravel,  shale,  clay,  great  beds  of  conglomerate, 
then  heavy  coarse  sandstone,  with  more  shale  and  clay  fol- 
lowing and  the  whole  capped  with  basaltic  lava  from  the 
volcanic  outbursts  of  the  Cascade  mountains.  This  is  es- 
pecially true  from  the  southeastern  part  of  the  Shasta 
valley  in  California,  to  near  Grants  Pass  in  Oregon  and  is 
easily  traced. 

At  Yreka,  Cottowood,  the  summit  of  the  Siskiyou 
mountains  where  the  Southern  Pacific  railroad  crosses,  and 
at  Ashland,  Jacksonville  and  Willow  Springs  we  find  the 
sandstone  lapping  up  on  the  mountain  of  -granite,  with 
gold  deposits  both  on  top  and  underneath  it  imbedded  in 
the  gravels  that  have  come  from  the  old  mountain.  Near 
the  foot  of  the  old  island  and  between  it  and  the  Cascades, 
lie  Shasta  valley  in  California  and  Rogue  River  valley  in 
Oregon.  These  valleys  border  upon  the  old  island  and  at 
one  time  seem  to  have  constituted  a  shore  margin  of  greater 
or  less  extent  upon  which  was  grown  vegetation,  in  places 
sufficient  to  form  considerable  beds  of  coal.  The  edges  of 
the  valleys  next  to  the  shoreline,  have  been-  productive  of 
gold  placers,  in  places  very  rich,  while  the  opposite  sides 
away  from  the  Siskiyous  have  produced  practically  none. 
The  great  mass  of  the  Siskiyous  as  they  now  appear,  is  of 
granite,  while  the  Cascades  and  its  spurs  are  of  sedimentary 
formation  capped  with  basaltic  lava.  The  lower  parts  of 
these  valleys  were  originally  covered  with  the  same  sedi- 
ments, but  have  suffered  great  erosion  and  in  many  places 
the  complete  loss  of  sandstone  covering,  leaving  only  a 
feather  edge  resting  against  the  Siskiyous.  Since  the  ex- 
pulsion of  the  sea  and  the  elevation  of  the  Cascades,  the 
erosion  of  the  mountains  on  both  sides  of  the  valleys  have 
furnished  a  rich  sediment  coming  from  the  mixed  detritus 
of  all  ages  represented  in  the  wearing  away  of  the  shales, 
clays,  conglomerates  and  basalt  upon  the  one  side,  and  the 
granite,  quartz,  porphyry,  clay  and  lime  from  the  other. 
These  sediments  mixed  as  they  have  been,  in  Rogue  River 
valley,  give  to  it  a  varied  character  of  soil  almost  unique. 
This  feature  will  be  elaborated  further  on. 

In  places  where  erosion  has  worn  away  the  basaltic 
covering  in  the  Cascades  there  have  been  discovered  some 
promising  gold   deposits   in   a   formation   similar  to   that   of 


22  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

Nevada  and  the  Great  Basin.  This  seems  to  indicate  that 
the  Cascades  have  arisen  through  a  floor  of  formation 
similar  to  that  found  east  of  that  range.  Such  gold  de- 
posits have  been  found  far  up  Rogue  river  in  quartz  forma- 
tion similar  to  that  at  Gold  Field.  This  however  gives  no 
promise  of  paying  placers. 


Chapter  ill. 

FURTHER    EXAMINATION   OF   THE    BORDERS   OF   THE 
ISLAND. 

"  Tax  not  my  sloth  that  I 

Fold  my  arms  beside  the  brook; 

Each  cloud  that  floated  in  the  sky 
Writes  a  letter  in  my  book." 

The  Siskiyou  mountains  are  of  great  scenic  attraction 
on  the  line  of  the  Southern  Pacific  road,  and  to  tourists 
prove  very  interesting.  From  its  crossing  of  the  Klamath 
river  in  California  to  the  top  of  these  mountains,  thence 
down  the  northern  slope  to  Ashland  in  Oregon,  it  follows 
near  and  crosses  many  times  the  old  shoreline  of  the  island. 
From  the  Klamath  river  its  course  is  up  Cottonwood  creek, 
and  by  a  very  sinuous  roadbed  reaches  the  summit  after  a 
climb  of  more  than  a  thousand  feet.  The  distance  from  the 
Klamath  river  to  the  summit  is  about  fourteen  miles  by  the 
wagon  road,  but  much  more  by  the  railroad.  The  Siskiyou 
mountains  lie  to  the  west  of  the  road  and  are  massive  and 
heavily  timbered,  while  to  the  east  are  the  foothills  of  the 
Cascades  with  but  little  timber  and  that  of  a  stunted  growth 
near  the  road.  The  road  bed  for  the  first  ten  miles  is 
chiefly  over  sandstone  and  gravel  with  an  occasional  basaltic 
ridge  to  cut  through.  To  the  east  the  hills  are  grass  cov- 
ered but  having  little  surface  water  become  brown  and  sere 
early  in  the  season.  To  the  west  vegetation  is  more  proli- 
fic and  the  indications  of  water  are  fully  verified  on  exam- 
ination. *  The  Cottonwood  receives  all  its  tributaries  (ex- 
cept wet  weather  streams)  from  the  Siskiyou  mountains,  all 
of  which  have  been  prospected  and  yield  gold,  being  very 
rich  in  places.  This  stream  has  been  mined  almost  from 
its  source  to  its  mouth  and  has  furnished  California  with 
one  of  its  richest  gold  bearing  regions.  Above  the  mouth 
of  the  Cottonwood,  the  Klamath  has  produced  no  gold,  while 
below  it  has  been  mined  to  the  ocean  and  is  still  one  of 
California's  richest  streams.  All  of  its  gold  comes  from 
the  Siskiyous.  The  gravels  along  the  foot  of  the  Cascade 
mountains,  so  far  as  prospected  are  barren  of  that  metal  in 
paying  quantities,  while  at  the  foot  of  the  Siskiyous  both 
on  top  and  under  the  sandstone,  in  many  places  rich  placer 
mines  have  been  worked  and  are  still  being  operated  with 
profit.        From  these  observations  one  would  naturally  con- 


24  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

elude  that  the  Cascade  range  opposite  the  Siskiyous  is  not 
a  profitable  section  for  the  prospector,  and  that  the. latter 
constitute  the  source  of  supply  for  the  great  mining  region 
of  southwestern  Oregon  and  all  of  that  part  of  California 
tributary  to  the  Klamath  river  after  it  has  passed  into  the 
old  island.  One  cannot  observe  that  fact  without  conclud- 
ing that  the  newer  formation  that  makes  up  the  Cascade 
range  is  very  different  from  the  old  island,  in  ways  not 
apparent  on  the  surface,  though  that  is  sufficiently  dissimtlaf 
to  cause  remark  by  the  most  casual  observer. 

The  bed  of  the  railroad  at  the  summit  crossing  is  over 
four  thousand  one  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  yet  the  tun- 
nel is  largely  in  sedimentary  matter,  and  about  a  half  mile 
away  and  at  an  altitude  of  about  four  thousand  feet  the  old 
sandstone  crops  out  and  is  very  rich  in  trilobite,  trigonia. 
amonite  and  other  marine  shells  belonging  to  the  cretaceous 
period  and  proves  that  again  we  have  our  shoreline.  To 
the  southeast  of  this  point  and  near  the  summit  of  the 
mountain,  coal  of  a  good  quality  is  found  and  several  tun- 
nels have  been  run  into  it  two  or  three  hundred  feet.  This 
coal  vein  dips  heavily  into  the  mountain  to  the  east  and 
could  only  be  drained  by  pumping,  hence  was  abandoned. 
This  is  the  exact  point  where  the  Cascades  rising  from  the 
ocean,  impinged  upon  the  Siskiyous  and  lifted  the  shoreline 
to  the  elevation  above  noted.  It  also  tells  an  eloquent 
story  of  a  sea  margin  heavily  timbered,  having  once  existed 
there.  Four  miles  further  to  the  southeast,  on  the  very 
summit  of  one  of  the  high  spurs  of  the  Cascades,  stands 
Pilot  Rock,  rising  in  massive  grandeur  almost  vertical,  over 
six  hundred  feet  above  the  mountain  that  forms  its  base. 
This  is  a  mass  of  columnar  basalt,  and  probably  was  the 
scene  of  volcanic  action  near  the  close  of  the  period  when 
the  shoreline  was  being  lifted  to  its  present  position.  In 
fact  the  railroad  "crosses  at  the  exact  spot  where  the  Cas- 
cades and  Siskiyous  form  their  junction.  From  this  point, 
which  is  Siskiyou  station,  the  tourist  on  his  initial  trip 
north,  gets  his  first  impressive  view  of  the  Cascade  range. 
P^urther  on  will  be  found  a  chapter  devtoed  to  some  of  the 
scenic  attractions  in  the  high  mountains  of  the  old  island, 
from  the  lofty  summits  of  which,  the  Cascades  will  be  view- 
ed towering  in  -places  into  the  regions  of  perpetual  snow. 
From  this  point  to  Ashland,  a  distance  of  about  sixteen 
miles,  we  descend  two  thousand  feet,  and  in  our  zig  zau, 
course  cross  the  old  shoreline,  sometimes  in  the  granite  and 
•again  running  through  deep  cuts  in  the  sandstone.  The 
road-bed    is   a    wonderful    piece    of    engineering    and    in    its 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        25 

cuts  and  tunnels  furnishes  a  good  opportunity  for  studying 
the  formation  of  the  old  shore.  In  his  trip  down  the  Sis- 
kiyous  to  Ashland  in  Oregon,  the  traveler  gets  his  first  view 
of  the  state  and  his  first  sight  of  the  famous  Rogue  river 
valley.  There  are  very  few  views  on  the  continent  that  so 
charm  the  visitor  with  their  beauty  and  impress  him  with 
grandeur  at  the  same  time  as  this  descent  of  2  000  feet. 
Before  taking  his  farewell  view  of  California  and  entering 
the  tunnel  one  mile  south  of  the  Siskiyou  station,  he  has 
noted  the  shining  summit  of  Shasta  towering  over  fourteen 
thousand  feet  into  the  blue  vault,  and  with  a  sweep  oi 
vision  has  marked  the  lofty  summits  of  Scotts  mountains,  a 
part  of  the  old  island,  serrated  and  glistening  with  snow. 
Mountain  billows  are  spread  before  him  and  valleys  below 
him.  This  summit  seems  more  than  a  topographic  mark- 
ing between  two  states;  it  is  the  line  separating  two  climates 
as  well;  aye!  more  than  that:  it  is  the  line  separating  two 
great  epochs  in  the  history  of  the  physical. growth  of  a  con- 
tinent. Pilot  Rock  rises  just  to  the  east;  the  chimney  that 
gave  vent  to  the  fumes  and  flows  from  Vulcan's  workshop 
far  down  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth  where  were  organized 
the  last  efforts  of  nature  to  expand  the  American  continent. 
In  the  political  history  of  the  country  that  for  the  past  few 
pigmy  years  men  have  been  making  we  have  heard  much  ot 
expansion.  How  do  such  efforts  compare  with  those  of  na- 
ture that  have  added  hundreds  of  thousands  of  square  miles 
of  solid  land  to  a  continent  that  was  before  under  the 
ocean?  Taking  our  last  view  of  California,  we  plunge 
into  a  tunnel  almost  a  mile  in  length  and  emerge  at  Siski- 
you station  four  thousand  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet 
above  the  sea.  No  longer  is  California,  Mt.  Shasta  and 
Scotts  mountains  in  sight.  With  our  faces  to  the  north 
we  turn  to  the  right  and  are  looking  upon  the  solid  phalanx 
of  the  great  Cascade  range,  that  even  here  exhibits  unmis- 
takable grandeur.  Looking  to  the  north,  the  beautiful 
peak  of  Mt.  McLaughlin  seems  near  at  hand  and  shines, 
like  Shasta,  in  perpetual  snow.  At  our  feet  a  small  stream 
signalizes  its  commencement  of  a  long  journey  and  plunges 
to  the  north.  This  is  Bear  creek,  a  tributary  of  Rogue 
river  and  the  beginning  of  Rogue  River  valley  which  was 
once  a  wide  margin  of  vegetation  and  beauty  on  the  shore  of 
the  ocean.  We  commence  our  descent  by  a  sinuous  course, 
circling  the  mountain  with  a  narrow  band  cut  about  its 
rugged  sides;  now  through  deep  cuts,  thence  across  steel 
bridges  more  than  a  hundred  feet  in  the  air,  from  whence 
two  more  tracks  may  be  seen  below,  near  enough  to  throw 


26  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

a  stone  on  to  them.  Prom  our  flight  across  the  great 
bridge  we  delve  into  a  tunnel  running  to  the  west  and  when 
we  emerge  our  course  is  to  the  northeast,  then  to  the  east 
and  through  another  tunnel,  which  is  almost  vertically  be- 
low the  track  we  left  a  few  minutes  ago.  We  have  turned 
almost  completely  around  while  roaring  through  a  tunnel 
beneath  the  surface  of  the  mountain.  When  we  were 
spinning  over  the  high  steel  trestle  our  heads  also  spun  as 
we  gazed  into  the  depths  to  our  right  and  noticed  the  track 
far  below  us,  and  now  having  made  the  circuit,  we  still  look 
from  the  same  side  of  the  car  but  our  view  is  up  the  moun- 
tain at  the  thread-like  structure  over  which  we  have  just 
passed  but  which  is  almost  five  hundred  feet  above  us.  The 
sight-seer  is  kept  busy,  for  his  attention  is  called  from  one 
side  of  the  car  to  the  other.  He  is  passing  through  a  for- 
mation of  quartz,  felspar  and  mica,  a  great  granite  dyke, 
and  a  moment  more  is  spinning  through  cuts  in  massive 
sandstone  where,  if  he  had  time,  he  could  gather  the  beau- 
tiful shells  that  perhaps  millions  of  years  ago  were  endowed 
with  life  in  the  briny  deep  that  covered  this  identical  spot. 
Again  an  exclamation  calls  our  attention  and  a  finger  points 
to  a  beautiful  landscape  far  down  the  mountain  toward 
which  we  seem  plunging  in  headlong  flight.  This  is  a 
fragment  of  Rogue  River  valley,  but  ere  we  have  time  for 
an  examination  our  course  is  changed  and  we  seem  to  be 
rushing  away  from  it  with  equal  speed  and  twist  our  necks 
for  a  last  view  of  so  beautiful  a  picture,  when  we  begin  to 
swing  about  and  are  bearing  down  into  the  valley  with  ex- 
clamations of  delight  from  everyone  who  has  kept  the  cock- 
els  from  his  heart  and  his  soul  open  to  things  external  to 
himself.  And  so  we  go;  in  and  out,  through  tunnels  and 
cuts,  'mong  towering  fir  trees  and  through  open  glades  and 
clumps  of  oak  and  madrone,  dancing  a  regular  devil's  jig  as 
we  rush  to  the  accompaniment  of  steam  and  whistle,  along 
a  winding  boulevard  trimmed  and  decorated  with  manzanita 
and  laurel,  maple,  alder  and  ash.  Our  engine  sends  up  a 
warning  whistle  and  we  slowly  wind  around  a  point  and 
come  to  a  stop  at  a  water  tank  and  a  station  house.  This 
is  Steinman,  eight  miles  from  Siskiyou  station  where  we 
emerged  from  the  tunnel  and  commenced  our  plunge  down- 
ward, though  by  the  wagon  road  which  we  cross  here,  it  is 
less  than  a  mile  and  a  half. 

We  have  now  descended  a  thousand  feet  with  but  little 
of  advance.  It  is  about  twelve  miles  on  to  Ashland,  but 
the  rugged  part  of  the  mountain  is  behind  us  and  from  here 
on  our  speed  is  increased,  for  great  care  is  observed  in  des- 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.       27 

cending  the  mountain  to  this  point.  In  passing  I  will  say 
that  much  credit  is  due  to  the  Southern  Pacific  Company 
because  of  the  careful  manner  in  which  they  operate  this 
part  of  their  road,  for  serious  accidents  seldom  occur  here. 
The  views  from  almost  every  part  of  our  descent  have  been 
enchanting,  not  more  from  the  grandeur  (for  everything 
in  view  seems  to  have  been  built  on  n  gigantic  scale,  ex- 
cept the  decorations  of  shrub  and  bush,  trickling  rills  and 
beautiful  glades),  than  for  a  kind  of  subdued  beauty  and 
charm,  which  appears  like  a  sentiment  of  modesty,  height- 
ened by  vari-colored  flowers,  shrubs,  and  sunshine.  Now 
we  proceed,  through  another  tunnel,  curving  round  sharp 
points,  over  trestles,  through  cuts  of  sandstone  and  sedi- 
ment and  an  occasional  point  of  granite,  ever  near  the  old 
shoreline.  The  beautiful  manzanita  with  its  pink  flowers 
or  red  berries,  that  look  like  little  apples — in  fact,  the  name 
is  Spanish  for  "little  apple" — madrone,  known  here  as 
mountain  laurel,  attracts  attention  for  the  beauty  of  its 
bark,  splendid  foliage  and  red  berries,  the  oak  with  its 
mistletoe  and,  along  the  numerous  creeks  and  rivulets  we 
cross,  the  beautiful  alder  and  ash  groves,  all  add  to  a  gen- 
eral charm  which  we  pass  so  rapidly  that  we  have  no  time 
to  study,  only  to  admire.  To  our  right  and  just  across  the 
narrow,  but  now  widening  valley,  rises  the  splendid  Cas- 
cades and  one  of  its  giant  spurs  which  reaches  out  to  the 
west  and  is  known  as  Grizzly  mountain  reaching  at  its  high- 
est point  six  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  That  portion 
of  the  Cascades  and  Grizzly  mountain  in  view  from  the 
railroad  are  grass  covered,  sparsely  timbered  and  only 
moderately  furnished  with  running  water.  I  will  ask  the 
reader  to  stop  off  with  me  at  Ashland  and  take  a  trip  along 
the  sides  of  Grizzly,  where  we  find  the  strongest  proofs  that 
all  of  that  great  mountain  was  covered  with  the  ocean  at  a 
period  geologically  recent.  For  eight  miles  before  reach- 
ing Ashland  we  have  been  passing  farmhouses,  gardens  and 
orchards  that  show  the  charm  of  thrift  and  prosperity,  for 
we  are  entering  one  of  the  most  famous  fruit  regions  in 
the  United  States,  and  one  that  promises  to  vie  with  the 
world  for  the  championship  in  apples,  peaches,  grapes  and 
«»,  variety  of  the  smaller  fruits  and  berries. 

Further  on  I  will  give  a  chapter  on  climate  and  soils 
which  I  hope  will  sufficiently  explain  the  basis  of  so  much 
favor  as  nature  has  bestowed  upon  this  spot.  To  the  "Old 
Island"  will  be  given  a  generous  part  of  the  credit. 

From  Main  street  in  Ashland,  the  ground  declines  gent- 
ly to  the  northwest  for  about  a  mile  to  the  banks  of  Bear 


28         „  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

creek,  which  here  has  its  course  to  the  northwest.  Cross- 
ing the  creek  we  commence  the. ascent  of  Grizzly;  gently  at 
first  and  gradually  increasing  until  at  eight  miles  on  a 
straight  line  we  reach  the  summit  of  Grizzly  peak.  \\V 
will  suppose  our  time  to  be  about  the  first  of  June  and  after 
making  a  careful  examination  of  the  mountain  side  up 
which  we  have  traveled,  we  will  return  to  this  spot  and 
revel  in  the  landscape  view,  which  is  not  often  excelled. 
On  the  side  of  this  mountain  and  in  the  nearer  vicinity  of 
Ashland  will  be  found  the  best  places  to  study  the  insular 
character  of  the  Siskiyous.  On  the  banks  of  Ashland  creek 
and  within  the  corporate  limits  of  that  city  are  located  beds 
of  oyster  and  other  sea  shells  cemented  together  and  bear- 
ing the  stamp  of  very  old  geological  records. 

Here  then  we  stand  upon  a  shore  that  once  looked  out 
upon  a  broad  expanse  of  water  to  the  northwest,  north, 
northeast  and  east,  long  before  Grizzly,  or  the  Cascade 
range  came  above  the  surface  of  the  ocean.  We  will  not 
stop  at  this  time  to  make  a  mental  picture  of  Ashland  as  a 
seaport,  but  will  leave  the  reader  to  indulge  his  imagina- 
tion at  his  leisure.  It  shall  be  our  business  to  complete 
the  proofs  and  then  draw  the  picture.  Returning  now  to 
Bear  creek  we  will  again  ascend  Grizzly  and  pursue  our 
study  as  we  proceed. 


Chapter  IV. 
GRIZZLY  MOUNTAIN  AND  MINERAL  SPRINGS. 

"And  out  of  spent  and  aged  things 
I  formed  the  world  anew." 

It  will  be  observed  that  Bear  creek  from  Siskiyou  station 
for  the  first  few  miles  of  its  course  flows  practically  nortn 
until  it  joins  with  Emigrant  creek  which  flows  westerly 
from  its  source  in  the  Cascades,  thence  the  course  is  to  the 
northwest  to  a  point  about  five  miles  below  Ashland,  where 
it  turns  again  to  the  north  for  about  fifteen  miles  and 
empties  into  Rogue  river.  This  gives  a  northwest  trend 
to  the  Bear  creek  arm  of  Rogue  River  valley,  in  which  Ash- 
land is  situated,  with  Grizzly  mountain  and  the  Cascades, 
to  the  north,  northeast  and  east  and  the  Siskiyou  Island 
opposite.  This  arm  of  the  valley  from  a  mere  canyon  at 
Steinman  station,  varies  in  width  from  one  to  three  miles. 
The  soil  from  the  Siskiyous  to  Bear  creek  is  granite  and 
clay,  containing  a  goodly  quantity  of  lime  and  is  excellent 
fruit,  vegetable  and  berry  land,  but  -not  especially  proline 
in  its  production  of  the  cereals.  On  the  north  side  of 
Bear  creek  the  surface  soil  comes  from  Grizzly  and 
partake  of  the  character  of  the  older  sediments  of  which 
the  mountain  is  composed,  mixed  with  adobe  from  the  dis 
integration  of  the  basaltic  lava  that  has  flown  from  the  top 
of  that  mountain  and  the  product  of  mud  volcanoes  and 
hot  springs  that  at  one  time  were  scattered  generously  over 
its  sides.  This  slope  of  Grizzly  mountain,  as  before  sug- 
gested has  little  timber,  and  only  a  moderate  supply  of  run- 
ning water,  except  during  the  winter  and  spring,  drying  up 
later  in  the  season.  While  the  soil  is  very  strong  and  fruit- 
ful in  the  growth  of  cereals  as.  well  as  fruit,  vegetables  and 
berries,  it  is  handicapped  for  want  of  water  for  irrigation 
With  water,  which  can  be  conserved  by  the  use  of  rest1 
voire,  there  are  thousands  of  acres  of  excellent  land  along 
the  sides  and  gulches  of  Grizzly,  which  will  some  time  m 
the  future,  support  a  large  population  of  active  and  indus- 
trious people.  Looking  at  it  from  the  railroad  it  appears 
to  be  a  regular  and  continuous  climb  from  the  bank  of  Bear 
creek  to  the  summit.  This,  however  is  not  so,  for  upon 
every  turn  the  explorer  runs  into  little  valleys  snugly  tucked 
away  among  the  rounded  knobs  and  slopes,  and  many  a 
"flat",  sometimes  containing  hundreds  of  acres  of  splendid 


m  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

soil  and  often  a  good  spring.  Clumps  of  oak  and  scatter- 
ing pine  and  fir  give  it  a  park-like  appearance  in  the  spring 
and  early  summer  with  many  a  shady  nook  and  picturesque 
cove. 

About  three  hundred  feet  above  Bear  creek  and  a  mile 
from  it,  is  a  well  that  was  driven  down  by  the  business 
men  of  Ashland  five  years  ago  in  prospecting  for  oil.  They 
sunk  to  the  depth  of  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  and  abandoned  the  undertaking.  The  top  oi 
the  well  is  practically  two  thousand  feet  above  sea  level 
and  the  bottom  is,  therefore,  almost  down  to  the  level  oi 
the  ocean.  In  the  whole  depth  the  well  borers  did  not 
get  through  the  sedimentary  formation.  From  top  to  bot- 
tom they  passed  through  stratum  after  stratum  of  shale, 
gravel  and  clay,  with  occasional  indications  of  coal  and  lig- 
nite. These  strata  were  sometimes  of  considerable  thick- 
ness and  sometimes  thin,  alternating  from  one  to  the  other, 
indicating  frequent  changes  of  the  source  from  whence 
these  sediments  were  derived.  Passing  on  up  the  moun- 
tain to  an  elevation  of,  five  hundred  feet  further,  there  is 
an  outcrop  of  lignite  which  has  been  prospected  for  coal. 
Tunnels  run  into  it  from  twenty  to  one  hundred  feet  have, 
in  places,  disclosed  coal  of  a  good  quality  and  fair  in  quan- 
tity, but  dipping  into  the  mountain  at  angles  varying  from 
five  to  twenty  degrees.  The  space  between  the  oil  well 
and  the  horizon  on  which  the  coal  is  found  is  filled  with 
clay,  shale  and  gravel.  On  the  top  is  a  very  fine  quality 
of  clay  of  unknown  thickness  rich  in  fossil  leaf  impressions. 
In  places  a  thinly  laminated  structure  of  slaty  character  is 
found,  which  on  separation  of  the  lamina  is  seen  to  be  well 
filled  with  various  kinds  of  leaf  impressions,  some  of  which 
resemble  madrone,  willow,  sequoia,  ferns,  swamp  growths 
and  a  variety  of  twigs,  small  branches  of  willow,  alder,  ash 
and  grasses.  It  is  evident  that  this  formation  consists  of 
a  sediment  that  was  deposited  after,  or  during  the  spring 
freshets  along  the  margins  of  shallow  lakes  or  marshy 
lands.  The  great  regularity  of  the  layers  shows  also,  that 
the  ground  containing  these  lakes  and  marshes  was  level 
and  of  considerable  extent,  Though  it  is  now  on  the  side 
of  a  mountain  sloping  upward  at  an  angle  from  ten  to  twenty 
five  degrees  and  dipping  into  the  mountain  almost  at  right 
angles  with  its  slope.  Above  these  shales  and  slates  comes 
a  heavy  mass  of  conglomerate  which  exposes  a  thickness 
in  places  of  fifty  feet,  with  a  talus  at  the  base  that  may 
conceal  as  much  more.  This  conglomerate  is  composed 
of  rounded  pebbles  and  boulders  that  give  evidence  of  hav- 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        gl 

ing  been  eroded  by  stream  action  and  not  by  beach  action. 
These  boulders  are  of  quartzite,  flints,  chalcedony,  jasper 
and  other  metamorphic  and  aqueous  rocks  and  are  unlike 
anything  we  find  in  the  old  island.  They  seem  to  have 
traveled  a  long  distance  and  are  worn  perfectly  smooth. 
Judging  from  the  size  of  many  of  the  boulders  it  is  evident 
that  if  they  were  borne  here  by  stream  action  it  must  have 
been  a  very  large  stream.  This  boulder  bed  extends  from 
a  point  east  of  Ashland  to  Eagle  Point  on  Butte  creek,  a 
distance  of  nearly  twenty  miles.  On  top  of  this  conglomer- 
ate rests  a  coarse  sandstone  carrying  a  meager  quantity  of 
fossil  leaf  impressions  similar  to  the  lower1  clays  above  des- 
cribed. This  sandstone  has  an  apparent  depth  of  a  thous- 
and feet,  and  in  places  huge  trees  of  a  species  of  cedar  or 
redwood  are  lying,  end  on,  on  the  top  of  the  conglomerate 
with,  in  places,  two  hundred  feet  of  sandstone  on  top  of 
them.  These  trees  are  pertified  and  seem  to  have  drifted 
to  their  last  resting  place  when  these  conglomerates  were 
covered  with  shallow  water.  Still  above  the  sandstone  and 
net  less  than  two  thousand  feet  above  the  top  of  the  oil 
well,  we  find  a  flow  of  basaltic  lava  capping  the  lower  sedi- 
ments. This  gives  from  the  bottom  of  the  oil  well  to  the 
lava  capping  a  depth  of  at  least  four  thousand  feet  of  sedi- 
ment. The  top  of  Grizzly  butte,  still  two  thousand  feet 
higher  bears  unmistakeable  evidence  of  having  once 
been  the  crater  of  a  volcano.  From  the  summit  of  the 
butte  the  ridge  declines  to  the  northwest  by  west  and  in 
many  places  shows  evidence  of  geologically  recent  volcanic 
action.  Numerous  small  craters,  spinnacles  and  beds  of 
lava  bear  evidence  of  this  fact.  In  many  places  along  the 
slope  of  this  ridge  are  found  hummocks  that  were  once 
mud  volcanos  and  many  sites  of  springs,  now  extinct,  but 
which  show  in  the  petrified  wood  lying'  along  the  slopes 
below  them,  that  they  were  heavily  charged  with  gases 
that  prveail  under  active  volcanic  conditions. 

Along  the  sides  of  Grizzly  ridge  and  parallel  with  its 
axis  are  three  distinct  beach  lines  one  above  the  other, 
showing  that  there  were  at  least  three  distinctively  active 
periods  in  the  elevation  of  this  mountain.  One  familiar 
with  the  present  action  of  the  ocean  surfs,  having  observed 
the  manner  in  which  they  cut  and  carve  the  sandstone  with 
which  they  come  in  contact,  would  recognize  its  work  on 
these  great  sandstone  cliffs  that  are  cut  and  carved  in  the 
most  fantastic  manner,  columns,  minerets,  spires,  great 
bowls,  pots  and  natural  tunnels  and  bridges,  mark  these 
beach  lines.        In  places  even  the  beach  lines  have  been  ob- 


32  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

literated  by  heavy  lava  flows.  This  is  particularly  appar- 
ent along  what  is  known  as  the  "Dead  Indian"  road  near 
the  junction  of  the  main  Cascades  and  Grizzly  ridge.  In 
this  vicinity  may  also  be  seen  some  beautiful  specimens  of 
an  agglomerate,  consisting  of  rounded  pebbles  gathered  in 
a  matrix  of  lava.  These  forms  came  about  by  a  viscid  lava 
flowing  down  a  stream  bed  where  it  gathered  the  water- 
worn  pebbles  as  it  rolled  along,  like  plums  in  a  pudding, 
finally  coming  to  rest  when  it  had  become  too  stiff  to  flow 
further.  To  the  east  and  southeast  of  Ashland,  along  the 
foot  of  the  Cascades  are  numerous  mineral  springs  produc- 
ing copious  flows  of  potable  waters  of  an  excellent  quality 
and  containing  properties  highly  recommended  as  medi- 
cinal. Some  of  these  springs  are  being  utilized,  the  waters 
being  bottled  and  shipped  in  considerable  quantities.  They 
are  highly  palatable  and  are  very  largely  used  in  mixing 
fancy  beverages.  The  "Wagner  Springs"  particularly, 
have  been  used  extensively  for  many  years  as  a  summer 
resort  under  the  general  designation  of  "The  Soda 
Springs."  The  proprietors  of  this  property  have  quite 
an  extensive  bottling  establishment  and  derive  a  consider- 
able revenue  from  the  marketing  of  the  water.  These 
springs  are  about  eleven  miles  southeast  of  Ashland,  and 
two  miles  further  up  Emigrant  creek,  the  Tolman  springs 
are  quite  famous  as  a  resort.  There  is  an  additional  attrac- 
tion at  the  Tolman  springs  in  the  way  of  emanations  of 
carbonic  acid  gas,  and  other  gases  combined,  which  escape 
not  only  with  the  water  but  also  from  fissures  and  cracks 
in  the  rocks,  in  the  bed  of  the  stream  and  about  the  banks 
and  sides  of  the  canyon.  This  gas  had  great  renown 
among  the  Indians  when  the  whites  first  made  their  ap- 
pearance in  the  country.  The  natives  termed  it  "hi-u- 
skookum  medicine"  and  used  it  in  the  treatment  of  rheu- 
matism and  other  afflictions.  They  dug  little  depressions 
where  the  gas  was  escaping  and  spreading  fir  boughs  in 
the  bottom  placed  the  patient  in  them  and  attended  him 
carefully  until  he  became  unconscious  from  inhaling  the 
gas,  then  they  removed  him  and  by  skillful  manipulation 
and  rubbing  brought  the  patient  back  to  life.  After  a  day 
or  two  of  feeding  on  teas  made  from  herbs  the;  gas  bath 
was  repeated  until  the  patient  recovered  from  his  malady: 
These  springs  were  improved  by  General  J.  C.  Tolman,  who 
also  erected  a  hotel  and  built  cottages  to  be  occupied  by 
those  who  wished  to  spend  a  season  and  take  a  treatment 
of  water  and  gas.  The  General  died  and  the  place  has  gone 
into  decay,  not   however,   until   quite  a  reputation   was  ac- 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.       33 

quired  for  the  springs.  It  is  not  safe  for  one  not  familiar 
with  the  effects  to  submit  himself  alone  in  one  of  these  gas 
stalls.  All  are  effected  alike;  unconsciousness  steals  over 
the  patient  or  experimenter,  in  so  seductive  a  way  that  a 
delicious  repose  soothes  him  and  if  no  one  is  near  to  remove 
him  and  he  has  not  been  warned  death  will  certainly  follow. 
Birds,  snakes,  squirrels  and  other  small  animals  and  rep- 
tiles are  frequently  found  lying  dead  in  these  places  over- 
come by  the  gas.  Smith's  springs,  not  far  away  are 
also  of  the  same  character  and  have  been  fitted  up  with 
"gas  bath"  attachments.  On  the  south  slope  of  the  moun- 
tain, by  the  side  of  the  railroad  and  three  miles  from  the 
summit  crossing  of  the  Siskiyous  are  situated  the  "Colestein 
springs"  with  bottling  establishment  and  hotel.  This  is 
also  a  noted  place  of  resort,  and  situated  as  it  is,  almost 
four  thousand  above  the  sea  in  the  Siskiyou  mountains  and 
directly  on  the  shoreline  has  become  a  very  popular  place 
for  summer  outings.  Still  further  down  the  slope  of  the 
Siskiyou  mountains  to  the  south,  almost  directly  on  the 
California  line,  are  the  "Shattuck"  springs  of  the  same 
character,  but  unimproved.  These  springs  are  also  on  the 
old  shoreline  and  about  three  miles  west  of  Coles  station 
on  the  S.  P.  R.  R. 

Returning  now  to  a  point  about  four  miles  east  of  Ash- 
land, on  Emigrant  creek  is  another  cluster  of  springs  that 
promise  to  become  famous  from  the  strong  addition  of 
Lithia  contained  in  the  water.  These  springs  have  long 
been  known  but  until  recently  were  owned  by  people  who 
would  do  nothing  to  improve  them,  nor  sell  to  any  one  who 
would  do  so.  They  have  recently  been  purchased  by  Mr. 
Harry  Silver  and  Mr.  C.  H.  Gillette  of  Ashland,  who  are 
preparing  to  bring  them  into  beneficial  use.  The  springs 
and  immediate  surroundings  are  very  picturesque  as  will  be 
seen  from  the  illustrations  published  herewith.  Inasmuch 
as  the  propoerties  of  lithium  are  so  well  known  in  medi- 
cal science,  and  for  the  further  reason  that  these  springs 
show  by  analysis  a  larger  percentage  of  lithium  than  almost 
any  of  the  most  famous  so  called  lithia  springs  in  the 
country  I  give  the  analysis  recently  made,  as  follows: 

(Parts  to  a  million  of  water), 

Soluble  silicates  of  Iron  and  Aluminum. 125 

Carbonate    of    Lime 977.8 

Carbonate    of   Magnesium 653.1 

Potassium    Chloride .      260.2 

Sodium    Chloride ,  .    3657.5 


34  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

Sodium    Carbonate : 25  4  3.5 

Lithium   Chloride 51.7 

Several  clusters  of  soda  springs  are  found  along  the  Sac- 
ramento river  between  Dunsmuir  and  Mt.  Shasta.  Tra- 
velers on  the  Southern  Pacific  will  not  easily  forget  the 
"Shasta  Springs"  where  all  passenger  trains  stop  ten  min- 
utes to  allow  passengers  to  drink  soda  water  from  the 
beautiful  fountains  prepared  by  the  Company  and  to  enjoy 
the  delightful  scenery  there  which  is  not  surpassed  on  any 
other  road  on  the  continent.  In  each  instance  where  they 
are  found  it  will  be  seen  that  they  are  in  the  neighborhood 
of  extinct  volcanic  vents.  This  will  be  found  to  be  true 
in  various  parts  of  the  world  where  such  springs  are  com- 
mon. It  will  be  seen  that  the  waters  of  these  so-called 
"soda  springs"  the  world  over,  have  been  noted  from  the 
earliest  times  for  their  medicinal  properties,  and  in  coun- 
tries of  dense  population  become  places  of  great  resort. 
All  of  the  springs  above  noticed  are  heavily  charged  with 
iron,  magnesia  and  sodium  chloride,  or  carbonate,  but  so 
far  as.  I  am  informed  lithium  only  appears  as  a  trace,  except 
in  the  springs  of  which  I  have  given  the  analysis.  These 
springs  are  an  additional  evidence  of  extinct  volcanic  action 
and  of  heavy  bodies  of  organic  matter,  such  as  we  find  form- 
ing the  mass  of  Grizzly  mountain. 

Within  the  corporate  limits  of  Ashland,  and  just  out- 
side but  near  by,  we  also  find  white  sulphur  springs  varying 
in  temperature  from  seventy  to  one  hundred  degrees. 
These  springs  have  also  become  popular  and  are  pronounced 
equal  to  the  White  Sulphur  springs  of  Arkansas.  One  of 
these  springs  located  in  the  streets  of  the  city  increased  its 
flow,  perhaps  fifty  fold,  immediately  following  the  earth- 
quake at  San  Francisco  in  April  1906,  and  continued  so 
augmented  for  several  days  but  finally  returned  to  its 
normal  rate.  I  ought  not  to  omit  to  mention  the  presence 
of  cinnabar  in  the  vicinity  of  these  sulphur  springs  and  the 
evidence  found  in  the  deposits  from  them  that  they  were, 
at  no  very  distant  time  in  the  past  hot,  and  are  now  steadily 
cooling.  Examination  throughout  the  world  shows  that 
the  deposit  of  cinnabar  (quicksiver  ore),  has  as  a  rule  been 
associated  with  hot  sulphur  water,  and  in  many  places 
around  the  shoreline  of  this  old  island,  we  find  valuable 
deposits  of  that  mineral.  In  places  these  deposits 
have  been  worked  with  profit.  Perhaps  there  are  not  many 
places  within  a  like  area,  will  be  found  so  great  a  variety 
of  mineral  springs,  both  warm  and  cold,  as  will  be  found 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.       35 

in  the  various  corners  of  Rogue  River  valley  and  the  adjoin- 
ing mountains.  Many  of  these  springs  have  medicinal 
virtue  and  some  are  poisonous. 

As  above  suggested  the  evidences  are  unmistakable 
that  along  the  sides  of  Grizzly  were  many  vents  for  the  es- 
cape of  lava,  mud  and  hot  water,  until  the  fires  below  were 
extinguished  and  by  degrees  the  springs  lost  their  heat  and 
the  mud  volcanos  ceased  their  action,  not  however,  without 
leaving  a  record  of  the  character  of  the  waters  discharged, 
by  the  petrified  wood  which  is  found  in  abundance.  The 
silicification  of  the  wood  shows  the  waters  to  have  been 
heavily  charged  with  silica.  Near  the  crossing  of  the  Dead 
Indian  road,  a  few  miles  east  of  Grizzly  butte,  is  a  large 
area  of  kaolin  which  is  being  quite  extensively  shipped  to 
Portland  and  used  in  the  manufacture  of  the  wares  of  the 
Western  Clay  Company.  It  is  claimed  that  this  clay  is  of 
great  commercial  value,  and  dishes  which  have  been  manu- 
factured from  it  compare  favorably  with  those  made  from 
the  kaoHn  clays  of  Pennsylvania.  The  great  quantities 
of  various  kinds  of  clay,  shale  and  dolomite;  seem  to  offer 
inducements  for  the  manufacture  of  cement,  now  coming 
into  general  use  Building  stone  of  a  variety  and  unexcel- 
led quality  promises  to  become  one  of  the  resources  of  this 
region.  The  granite  and  marble  of  the  old  island  and  the 
inexhaustible  quantity  of  sandstone  along  the  shoreline  only 
awaits  transportation  facilities  to  supply  half  the  continent* 
Other  valuable  minerals  and  metals  will  be  exploited  in 
subsequent  chapters. 


Chapter  V. 

A  VIEW  FROM  GRIZZLY  MOUNTAIN. 

*  *  *  *      :  the  tall  rock, 

The  mountain  and  the  deep  and  gloomy  wood, 
Their  colors  and  their  forms,  were  then  to  me 
An  appetite;  a  feeling  and  a  love, 
That  had  no  need  of  a  remoter  charm, 
By  thought  supplied,  or  any  interest 
Unborrowed  from  the  eye." — ( Wor.iswort-i) . 

Having  exploited  the  shoreline  and  its  adjacent  moun- 
tains from  Ashland  to  the  point  of  junction  between  the 
Siskiyous  and  the  Cascades,  and  called  attention  to  the  var- 
ied formation  and  natural  peculiarities  bearing  upon  proof 
of  the  insular  character  of  the  Siskiyous  in  the  long  ago. 
wc  will  return  to  the  summit  of  Grizzly  mountain  and  revel 
for  a  time  in  the  panorama  to  be  obtained  from  there. 

As  remarked,  Grizzly  butte  has  an  altitude  of  six  thous- 
and feet.  On  a  direct  line  it  is  about  eight  miles  from  Ash- 
land, though  to  the  "tenderfoot,"  looking  from  below,  it 
does  not  appear  half  that;  the  climb,  however,  brings  about 
a  disillusion.  Our  starting  point  has  an  altitude  of  two 
thousand  feet;  therefore  our  climb  will  be  four  thousand, 
-i^e  slop?  of  the  mountain  faces  the  south,  and  in  the 
month  of  June  one  is  likely  to  encounter  warm  weather 
and  the  scattering  clusters  of  shade  will  be  greatly  appre- 
ciated. It  is  a  good  four  hours'  climb,  but  at  every  halt  for 
breath  we  are  repaid  in  the  view  we  get.  Before  we  have 
ascended  half  the  distance  we  have  a  fine  view  of  Mt.  Shasta 
which  is  directly  in  line  with  the  summit  crossing  of  the 
S.  P.  road;  the  lowest  pass  of  the  Siskiyou  mountains. 

Having  reached  the  top,  a  magnificent  panorama  is 
in  view  on  every  hand.  Mt.  Shasta  towers  to  a  height  of 
14,440  feet,  and  its  glaciers  and  snow  make  of  it  a  brilliant 
spot  among  the  mountains  of  northern  California.  To  the 
south  and  southwest  the  massive  Siskiyous  rise  from  six 
to  more  than  eight  thousand  feet  and  are  covered  with 
dense  growths  of  pine  and  fir.  Some  of  the  magnificent 
forests  for  which  Oregon  and  northern  California  are  noted 
the  world  over,  are  before  us.  Beyond  the  Siskiyous 
through  its  lower  passes,  we  see  Scotts  mountains,  also  a 
part  of  the  old  island.  Dark  and  imposing,  these  moun- 
tains rise  into  the  regions  of  snow;  their  sides  cut  and 
scarred  by  deep  canyons  through  which  the  old  island  pour- 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        37 

ed  its  waters  into  the  ocean  long  before  the  mountain  on 
which  we  stand  had  appeared  above  the  surface.  Between 
us  and  this  old  island  lies  the  narrow  valley  which  we  have 
just  left  and  stretching  along  the  old  shoreline  lies  Ashland 
in  plain  view.  All  of  the  Bear  creek  arm  of  the  Rogue 
River  valley  is  just  below  us  sparkling  in  sunshine  and 
beauty  at  the  foot  of  the  great  granite  mountains.  To 
the  east  and  northeast  are  the  Cascades  with  Mt.  Mc- 
Laughlin only  forty  miles  to  the  northeast  rising  almost 
ten  thousand  feet  and  clad  in  perpetual  snow.  This  is  one 
of  the  most  symmetrical  and  imposing  mountains  on  the 
Pacific  coast.  Around  its  base  and  stretching  away  to 
the  south  and  east  lies  one  of  the  finest  forests  on  the 
continent.  In  places  league  upon  league  of  this  forest 
seems  almost  level  and  unbroken.  Here  the  sugar  pine, 
white  pine,  Douglas  fir,  white  fir,  and  many  other  varieties 
of  conifers  hide  beautiful  lakes,  glades  and  natural  parks 
that  to  him  who  has  wandered  among  them,  have  left 
memories  of  delight  upon  which  he  may  draw  with  the 
keenest  pleasure  for  a  life  time.  Beyond  McLaughlin,  still 
to  the  northeast  and  about  seventy  miles  distant,  as  the 
crow  flies,  are  seen  the  high  crags  about  Crater  lake. 
Looking  away  to  the  north  and  northeast  are  towering 
summits  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  aided  with  the  best 
field  glass.  Following  the  slope  of  the  mountain  from 
our  feet  to  the  north,  it  falls  away  rapidly  into  the  heavily 
timbered  canyon  of  Antelope  creek.  Following  the  line 
of  this  stream  toward  the  northwest  we  see  it  widening, 
until  at  the  distance  of  five  or  six  miles  it  affords  width  of 
valley  and  farms  are  seen.  A  few  miles  further  on  it 
debouches  into  the  main  Rogue  River  valley.  Again  look- 
ing from  our  stand  on  the  summit  of  Grizzly,  toward  the 
north  we  see  another  ridge,  similar  to  the  one  we  are  on, 
but  not  so  high.  This  ridge  separates  Antelope  from 
Butte  creek,  which  also  has  its  course  to  the  west  and  emp- 
ties into  Rogue  river  near  the  center  of  the  valley.  Along 
Butte  creek  is  a  valley  larger  than  the  Bear  creek  arm, 
which  reaches  almost  to  the  foot  of  McLaughlin.  Beyond 
that  again  comes  Rogue  river  up  which  one  may  travel 
among  its  farms  and  orchards  for  twenty  five  miles. 
Though  the  whole  valley,  almost,  is  in  view  we  will  first 
notice  the  streams  that  are  marked  by  canyons  that  have 
worn  their  course  down  the  mountains  and  enter  the  valley 
from  every  direction.  Each  of  these  mountains  has  more 
or  less  of  a  margin  of  fine  land  suitable  for  agriculture  and 
horticulture  and  it  will  be  found  that  almost  every  available 


$$  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU  ISLAND 

spot  has  been  located  and  the  business  of  home  building 
begun.  A  more  beautiful  prospect  than  the  main  body 
of  Rogue  River  valley  presents  from  our  lookout  could  not 
well  be  imagined.  Each  of  the  entering  streams  has  more 
or  less  of  valley  margin  where  homes  are  made.  Up  some 
of  these  streams  the  valley  extends  for  miles,  affording 
choice  and  picturesque  homes.  These  places  have  the 
advantage  of  mountain  range  for  stock  that  will  continue 
to  be  a  common  pasturage  .  They  also  usually  have  the 
advantage  of  an  abundance  of  water.  The  streams  are 
clear  and  cold  and  where  of  moderate  size  are  well  supplied 
with  trout.  Sucn  places  also  have  the  advantage  of 
game  such  as  is  found  here.  In  traveling  through  the 
valley  on  the  railroad  or  by  team  over  the  main  highways, 
these  little  valleys  reaching  up  into  the  mountains  are  not 
seen,  and  the  stranger  gets  the  idea  that  the  valley  is  much 
smaller  than  it  is.  Again  from  our  perch  on  Grizzly  we 
see  to  the  southwest  and  west  a  lower  range  or  ridge  of  the 
Siskiyous  with  the  main  summits  in  view  beyond,  suggesting 
a  valley  between,  but  which  is  out  of  sight.  The  sugges- 
tion of  a  valley  there  is  not  deceptive,  for  if  we  were  to  pass 
over  the  ridge  we  would  come  into  the  Applegate '  valley, 
not  so  large  as  Rogue  River  valley  but  as  favored  by  nature 
in  every  other  respect.  •  Its  climate  is  the  same  and  Its 
numerous  homes  indicate  the  same  degree  of  thrift  and 
happiness.  Applegate  river  is  one  of  the  principal  tribu- 
taries of  Rogue  river  and  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
romantic  streams  to  be  found  in  the  Siskiyou  mountains. 
In  addition  to  agriculture,  horticulture 'and  stoc.kraising. 
the  Applegate  country  is  one  of  the  most  important  mining 
regions  in  the  state, -of  which  more  wlil.be  said^  in  later 
chapters.  Looking  still  to  the  west  of  Applegate* moun- 
tains, which  we  must  remember  are  only  a  part  of  the  Sis- 
kiyous, we  see  other  ridges  with  still  other  ones  beyond, 
which  to  the  initiated,  suggests  Williams  creek,  Sucker 
creek  and  the  Illinois  River  valleys,  all  within  the  old  feland 
and  belonging  to  'the  Siskiyous  sytem  of  valleys.  None  of 
these  valleys  can  be  seen  from  the  main  routes  of  travel 
and  even  their  existence  is-  not  suggested  to  the  traveler, 
unless  in  conversation  with  some  one  familiar  with  the 
country,  but  from  our  perch  on  Grizzly,  the  various* ridges, 
one  beyond  the  other  are  sufficiently  suggestive  to'  prompt 
enquiry.  From  all  of  this  it  will  be  seen  that  a  very  im- 
perfect knowledge  of  the  extent  of  the  valleys  of  this  part 
of  Oregon  is  obtained  by  the  traveler  who  learns  nothing 
except   what   he  can   see   from   the   car   window.        When    I 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        89 

come  to  speak  of  the  climate  and  .productions  of  the  Old 
Island,  it  will  be  understood  that  all  of  the  valleys  belong 
in  the  same  category. 

Following  the  summit  of  Grizzly  ridge  toward  the  west 
for  about  four  miles  brings  us  to  a  point  from  which  nearly 
all  parts  of  the  main  valley  can  be  seen.  We  now  observe 
that  it  has  its  greatest  length  from  Steinman  to  a  point 
several  miles  northwest  of  Grants  Pass;  a  distance  of  about 
seventy  miles.  At  its  most  westerly  point  Rogue  river 
enters  a  very  rugged'  canyon  which  continues  almost  to  the 
ocean.  The  greatest  width  of  valley  is  perhaps  2  0  miles,  and 
a  more  beautiful  country  to  look  upon  would  be  hard  to 
find.  The  beautiful  and  romantic  little  city  of  Ashland, 
which  has  been  made  the  starting  point  for  these  observa- 
tions, is  in  plain  view  along  the  foot  of  the-  Siskiyous. 
Five  miles  to  the  northwest  is  the  village  of  Talent,  situated 
on  the  banks  of  Wagner  creek  which  flows  from  the  Siski- 
yous and  for  a  distance  of  five  or  six  miles  is  being  crowded 
with  fruit  farms  and  plenty,  yet  out  of  sight  from  the  rail- 
road. Three  miles  further  on  is  the  village  of  Phoenix 
in  the  midst  of  farms  and  orchards.  Five  miles  north  of 
Phoenix  is  the  rapidly  growing  little  city  of  Medford,  prac- 
tically in  the  center  of  the  valley  and  with  a  wealth  of  farms 
and  orchards  surrounding  it.  Medford  in  population  ranks 
next  to  Ashland  and  is  destined  to  be  the  commercial  center 
of  the  valley.  Its  growth  is  rapid  and  substantial.        A 

short  line  of  railroad  connects  it  with  Jacksonville  to  the 
west  and  the  Crater  Lake  railroad  has  its  junction  with 
the  S.  P.  road  here  and  now  extends  northeast  to  Eagle 
Point  and  is  intended  to  open  up  a  fine  body  of  timber  to 
the  northeast.  Ashland,  which  is  especially  noted  as  a 
home  and  school  town,  and  a  place  of  great  scenic  attrac- 
tions seems  destined  to  become  the  Colorado  Springs  o!5 
Oregon.  The  purity  and  abundance  of  its  water,  the 
great  variety  of  its  mineral  springs  and  noted  as  the  site 
of  one  of  the  State  Normal  schools,  a  Chautauqua  assembly, 
which  meets  yearlj \  beautiful  parks,  flowers  and  fruit. 
Tts  water  supply  comes  from  Ashland  butte,  is  abundant 
for  all  purposes  and  Is  absolutely  owned  and  controlled  by 
the  city,  making  it  one  of  the  most  favored  localities  on  the 
coast.  The  foregoing  marks  the  distinctive  features  of 
Ashland,  while  Medford's  distinguishing  feature  is  its 
central  location  in  the  valley  and  its  consequent  advantage 
as  a  commercial  center.  There  ought  not  to  be  any  feeling 
of  rivalry  between  these  two  growing  little  cities,  for  that 
in  which  each  excels  is  not  a  matter  of  competition  between 


40  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU  ISLAND 

them,  and  yet  there  seems  to  be  a  senseless  feeling  of 
rivalry  with  its  usual  accompaniments. 

Five  miles  west  of  Medford  is  Jacksonville,  the  county 
seat  of  Jackson  county  and  the  oldest  town  in  southern 
Oregon.  Jacksonville  was  first  settled  as  a  mining  camp, 
and  for  more  than  fifty  years  has  been  one  of  Oregon's  mosi 
noted  mining  localities.  Until  the  building  of  the  S.  P. 
railroad  Jacksonville  was  the  chief  town  in  souther:)  Ore- 
gon. As  I  have  elsewhere  said,  it  occupies  a  cove  at  the 
foot  of  the  Siskiyou  mountains  which  once  formed  a  land- 
locked harbor  when  the  old  island  was  surround ec!  by  the 
ocean.  The  site  and  vicinity  of  Jacksonville  was  once  very 
'•'ch  in  placer  gold  and  millions  of  dollars  in  gold  dusr.  have 
been  bandied  there  since  the  first  disco /ery  about  sixty 
years  ago.  If  we  were  writing  a  political  history  of 
Oregon  it  would  be  necessary  to  give  at  least  a  chapter  to 
Jacksonville.  After  Medford  sprung  into  existence,  and 
Jacksonville  had  been  left  five  miles  away  from  the  railroad, 
it  was  shorn  of  its  laurels  as  the  chief  town,  but  still  re- 
tains an  extensive  business  and  is  the  chief  supply  point 
for  the  mines  to  the  south  and  west  and  for  the  trade  of 
the  farmers  and  orchardists  of  the  Applegate  country. 
There  is  not  a  more  beautiful  location  for  a  town  in  all  the 
valley  and  the  development  of  the  copper  mines  south  from 
Jacksonville,  in  the  heart  of  the  Siskiyous,  of  which  men- 
tion will  be  made  further  on,  has  given  to  the  old  town 
a  new  impetus. 

Remembering  that  we  are  viewing  the  valley  from  a 
point  of  Grizzly  mountain,  from  which  all  of  these  towns 
are  plainly  seen,  we  look  north  from  Medford  along  the 
railroad  and  at  the  distance  of  four  miles  see  Central  Point 
another  thriving  town,  perhaps  as  much  entitled  to  be  con- 
sidered the  central  town  of  the  valley  as  its  neighbor. 
This  town  is  also  flourishing  and  exhibits  its  orchards  and 
farms  with  as  much  pride  as  does  Medford.  Some  of  the 
most  noted  orchards  of  the  state  are  just  at  the  outskirts 
of  Central  Point.  Eleven  miles  northeast  of  Central  Point  is 
Eagle  Point,  not  on  the  railroad,  but  on  the  banks  of 
Butte  creek  and  located  in  one  of  the  finest  sections  of  the 
valley.  Eagle  Point  is  at  present  the  terminus  of  the 
Medford  and  Crater  Lake  railroad.  Its  position  is  pic- 
turesque and  is  surrounded  with  fine  farms  and  orchards 
with  an  abundance  of  water  for  irrigation  and  other  pur- 
poses. Butte  creek  affords  many  excellent  sites  for  power. 
The  stream  is  one  of  the  largest  that  enters  the  valley  and 
comes  direct  from  Mt.  McLaughlin.        The  Butte  creek  arm 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OP  OREGON.       41 

of  the  valley  constitutes  an  important  part  of  the  county 
and  extends  up  that  stream  for  ten  or  twelve  miles  above 
Eagle  Point,  is  populous  and  rich. 

Returning  now  to  Central  Point  and  following  the 
railroad  five  miles  further  to  the  north  we  reach  the  bank 
of  Rogue  river  at  the  new  town  of  Gold  Ray.  Here  a 
wealthy  company  has  placed  a  fine  concrete  dam  across 
the  river  and  constructed  a  large  power  plant  that  furnishes 
all  the  valley  with  electricity.  The  company  has  already 
laid  out  at  least  a  half  million  dollars  in  their  project  and 
are  planning  lines  of  electric  roads  that  shall  bind  the  whole 
valley.  Electricity  is  furnished  for  the  operation  of  mines 
and  machinery  in  all  parts  of  the  valley  and  surrounding- 
mountains.  Perhaps  there  is  not  planned  many  more  ex- 
tensive electrical  plants  on  the  coast,  nor  with  finer  pros- 
pects. The  stream  is  an  ideal  one  for  such  purposes. 
Near  by  is  the  Table  Rocks,  one  of  the  points  of  scenic 
interest  along  the  line  of  this  "Road  of  a  Thousand  Won- 
ders." These  rocks  cover  a  considerable  area,  several 
miles  in  extent.  They  rise  to  a  height  of  six  or  seven 
hundred  feet  above  the  river  with  a  talus  slope  for  the 
first  two  or  three  hundred  feet,  terminating  in  vertical 
cliffs  of  basaltic  lava,  the  top  of  which  is  practically  a  level 
plain  covered  with  the  usual  bush  growths  of  the  "region. 
At  the  base  of  the  talus  is  sandstone  with  indications  of 
coal.  To  the  north  of  these  cliffs  and  not  in  view  from 
the  road  lies  Sams  valley,  really  a  part  of  Rogue  River 
valley,  and  one  of  its  richest  sections.  It  is  several  miles 
in  extent  each  way,  and  as  an  agricultural,  horticultural 
and  dairying  region  ranks  high.  '  The  railroad  from  this 
point  on  to  Grants  Pass,  about  twenty  five  miles  runs  dir- 
ectly along  the  bank  of  Rogue  river.  At  about  six  miles 
below  Gold  Ray  we  cross  the  river  and  draw  up  at  Gold  Hill, 
a  prosperous  and  growing  town  of  six  or  seven  hundred 
people  who  are  very  enthusiastic  in  discussing  the  future 
of  their  little  city  of  which  they  are  justly  proud.  Mining 
is  extensively  carried  on  in  the  vicinity,  besides  which, 
Sams  valley  and  meadows  a  few  miles  to  the  northeast, 
are  supplied  at  Gold  Hill  and  from  there  do  their  shipping. 
From  this  point  to  Grants  Pass  the  valley  is  narrow  and 
most  of  the  available  spots  are  occupied  by  farmers,  miners 
and  fruit  growers.  As  we  go  spinning  down  the  north 
bank  of  the  river  we  notice  streams  coming  in  from  the 
mountains  on  both  sides  bordered  with  ranches,  running 
back  into  the  mountains  and  everywhere  we  see  mining 
operations  and  do  not  need  to  be  told  that  in  this  occupa- 


42  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

tion  many  of  the  farmers  busy  themselves  during  that 
season  of  the  year  when  thp  streams  are  full.  Nine  miles 
west  of  Gold  Hill  we  pass  Woodville,  another  prosperous 
village.  Here  the  lumber  yards  tell  us  of  mills  in  the 
mountains;  hop  drying  houses,  fruit  dryers  and  milk  cans 
show  diversified  industry.  Extensive  mining  is  done  in 
the  vicinity,  and  the  indications  show  that  we  are  yet  along 
the  shoreline  of  the  old  island.  Nine  miles  further  brings 
us  to  Grants  Pass,  the  county  seat  of  Josephine  county. 
This  is  a  very  thriving  little  city  of  about  four  thousand 
inhabitants.  It  is  the  principal  town  of  the  county  and 
does  a  large  business.  It  lies  on  both  banks  of  the  river 
and  has  a  large  area  of  the  valley  tributary  to  it.  Being 
the  only  place  of  any  note  in  the  county  it  has  the  trade 
of  a  very  large  area.  This  particular  section  is  becoming 
noted  for  the  cultivation  of  grapes  as  well  as  the  other 
products  for  which  southern  Oregon  is  famous.  Williams 
Creek  valley,  Althouse,  Sucker  creek  and  the  Illinois  vallies 
are  all  within  tUe  limits  of  Josephine  county  and  the  old 
island.  It  has  also  the  largest  mining  interests  of  any  of 
the  towns  of  southern  Oregon.  From  Grants  Pass  the 
railroad  bears  off  to  the  north  through  the  mountains  and 
leaves  Rogue  River  valley.  We  will  therefore,  not  follow 
it  further,  as  we  are  dealing  with  the  pre-historic  Siskiyou 
island  and  will  have  more  to  say  about  it  later  on.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  we  commenced  this  view  from  one  of 
the  western  points  of  Grizzly  mountain,  from  which  we 
were  able  to  see  all  except  that  which  I  have  described 
after  leaving  Gold  Hill. 


Chapter  VI. 

THE  CLIMATE  AND  SOIL  OF   ROGUE   RIVER  VALLEY. 

"I  hold  that  we  have  a  very  imperfect  know- 
ledge of  the  works  of  nature  till  we  view  them  as 
the  works  of  God — not  only  as  the  works  of  mech- 
anism but  works  of  intelligence,  not  only  as  under 
laws,  but  under  a  Lawgivtr,  wise  and  good." — 
(James  McCnsh.) 

The  climate  of  Rogue  River  valley  is  in  all  essential 
respects  identical  with  all  other  valleys  that  belong  to  the 
northern  slope  of  Siskiyou  island.  This  slope,  however, 
differs  from  that  of  any  other  portion  of  the  Pacific  coast. 
Any  good  map  of  California  and  Oregon  will  show  that  the 
Sierra  Nevada  and  Coast  Range  of  mountains  in  California, 
are  practically  parallel  with  each  other  and  are  separated 
by  two  great  central  valleys  of  that  state,  i.e.,  the  San 
Joaquin  and  Sacramento;  that  at  the  northern  end  of  the 
Sacramento  valley  a  great  cluster  of  mountains  fills  the 
space  from  the  Sierra  Nevada  westerly  to  the  ocean  and 
extends  far  up  into  Oregon,  and  that  in  the  last  named 
state  the  same  great  cluster  fills  the  space  between  the 
Cascades  and  the  ocean  until  you  reach  a  point  almost  west 
of  the  southern  end  of  the  Willamette  valley  which  separ- 
ates the  Cascades  from  the  Coast  Range.  This  great 
cluster  constitutes  the  Old  Island  with  which  we  are  deal- 
ing and  has  its  greatest  length  north  by  a  few  points  west 
and  is  over  two  hundred  miles  long,  and  in  its  greatest 
width  is  nearly  ninety  miles.  The  state  line  between 
California  and  Oregon  divides  the  Old  Island,  about  equally 
between  these  states.  When  we  come  to  consider  this 
island  as  a  great  cluster  of  mountains  before  the  Cascades 
or  Coast  range  came  above  the  water,  and  that  when  they 
did  rise  the  Cascades  closed  upon  the  Siskiyous  at  an  al- 
titude of  more  than  four  thousand  feet  and  that  the  Coast 
range  abutted  upon  the  island  at  its  northern  and  southern 
extremity  on  a  line  with  its  western  shore,  we  will  readily 
understand  that  it  became  a  great  watershed,  throwing 
the  waters  south  toward  the  Sacramento  and  north  toward 
Rogue  river  and  the  Umpqua.  In  passing  from  San  Francisco 
to  Portland,  the  summit  of  the  Siskiyous  is  the  highest 
point.  Shasta  valley  in  California  lies  to  the  east  of  the 
Old  Island  and  has  an  altitude  of  about  three  thousand 
feet  or   more,      with   the   high   snowy   Scotts   mountains  to 


44  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

the  south  and  equally  lofty  Siskiyou  mountains  to  the  north 
and  west,  and  Mt.  Shasta  with  its  perpetual  snow  and  gla- 
ciers on  its  southeastern  border,  we  can  easily  understand 
that  its  climate  is  rendered  more  rigorous  thereby.  Rogue 
River  valley  ranges  in  altitude  from  one  thousand  to  two 
thousand  five  hundred  feet  above  the  ocean,  and  while  it 
is  also  surrounded  by  high  mountains,  yet  with  its  lower  al- 
titude and  the  absence  of  such  mountains  as  Shasta  to 
directly  affect  it,  it  is  apparent  that  its  climate  is  much 
modified.  The  average  rainfall  for  the  past  twenty-four 
years  in  Rogue  River  valley  has  been  a  little  less  than 
twenty  inches,  and  snow  seldom  falls  to  a  greater  depth 
than  two  or  three  inches  nor  remains  on  the  ground  more 
than  a  few  hours.  A  sleigh  or  cutter  would  be  a  curiosity 
about  farm  yards,  and  water  pipes  often  remain  uncovered 
throughout  the  winter  without  freezing.  There  are  times 
when  the  thermometer  falls  below  freezing  point,  but  for  it 
to  reach  zero  is  a  very  rare  occurrence.  Roses  often  bloom 
in  the  open  air  until  Christmas  and  in  sheltered  places  still 
later.  Strawberries  fresh  from  the  vines  are  a  usual  luxury 
for  Thanksgiving  and  fruit  trees  frequently  bloom  in  Feb- 
ruary. Outside  pasture  for  stock  is  green  the  winter 
through  and  range  stock  seldom  require  any  feeding.  I  " 
am  now  writing  in  the  middle  of  January,  1908,  and  up 
to  the  present  time  there  has  been  no  more  than  a  simple 
suggestion  of  freezing  this  winter  and  the  mountain  sides 
look  green  and  spring-like.  Up  to  this  time  there  has  not 
been  snow  enough  up  to  an  altitude  of  twenty-five  hundred 
feet  to  suggest  a  whitening  of  the  ground,  though  tin 
higher  mountains  are  covered  with  a  generous  supply. 
In  a  few  places  about  the  valley,  figs,  oranges  and  lemons 
grow  and  sometimes  mature,  though  they  are  not  consider- 
ed as  more  than  ornamental.  It  is  the  home  of  the  peach, 
apple,  pear,  apricot  and  prune,  and  as  fine  melons  as  can  be 
found  in  any  country  are  produced  here  in  great  abundance 
and  shipped  to  less  favored  places  by  the  car  load.  The 
apples  and  pears  are  unexcelled  and  horticulture  is  becom- 
ing the  chief  industry.  Apples  and  pears  are  shipped  to 
the  great  markets  of  this  country  and  foreign  parts  and  the 
highest  prices  ever  paid  in  the  markets  of  New  York  for 
such  fruits  have  been  paid  for  Rogue  River  shipments. 

Irrigation  is  not  extensively  resorted  to,  but  where 
it  is  desired  the  mountains  furnish  an  abundance  of  water. 
During  the  summer  months  the  skies  are  warm  and  sunny, 
with  occasional  showers  sometimes  torrential  in  character. 
This  will  be  easily  understood  when   we  consider  the  high 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        45 

mountains  as  great  condensers  of  moisture.  The  rarity  of 
the  atmosphere  in  the  neighborhood  of  their  summits  pro- 
duces draughts  of  colder, and  consequently  heavier  air, which, 
displacing  the  warmer,  lighter  currents  of  the  valley  carry 
down  moisture,  that  having  condensed  in  the  cooler  air 
above  is  now  expanded  to  the  form  of  vapor,  mist  and  rain, 
gently  or  violently  according  to  the  degree  of  the  meteor- 
ological changes  that  take  place.  These  currents  of  air 
cooled  and  directed  by  high  mountain  ranges,  and  supplied 
by  nearby  ocean  currents  are  subjected  to  a  variableness 
of  conditions  that  must  prevail  in  such  an  environment. 

The  great  diversity  of  the  climate  found  on  the  Pacific 
coast  is  plainly  due  to  the  Japan  current  and  the  trend  and 
height  of  the  mountain  ranges.  The  usual  trend  of  such 
ranges  on  the  American  continent,  is  northerly  and  south- 
erly parallel  with  each  other.  The  warmer  a  current  of 
air,  the  higher  it  will  fly.  Cool  it  and  it  will  drop  lower. 
The  higher  it  goes,  the  cooler  and  dryer  the  atmosphere 
and  the  greater  is  the  tendency  toward  condensation  and 
consequent  precipitation.  If  the  currents  of  air  through 
which  the  moisture  falls  are  cold  enough  snow  or  hail  will 
result,  otherwise  it  will  be  rain.  The  Japan  current  of  the 
Pacific  ocean  coursing  southerly,  parallel  with  the  coast, 
bears  water  warmer  than  the  main  mass  causing  vapor  to 
rise  from  its  surface.  The  heavier,  because  colder,  air 
from  the  mountains  inland  naturally  drops  toward  the 
ocean,  where  the  water  is  warmer  and  the  atmospheric 
vapor  is  consequently  lighter.  This  vapor  is  lifted  above 
the  heavier  air  which  settles  to  the  surface  and  displaces 
it.  The  vapor  so  lifted  rises  to  atmospheric  currents  that 
are  running  landward  and  are  borne  inland  and  dropped 
as  snow  on  the  high  mountains  and  as  rain  in  the  valleys. 
The  Coast  range  in  Oregon  and  Washington,  while 
high  enough  to  condense  a  great  deal  of  the  moisture  being 
borne  inland,  only  lightens  the  heavily  burdened  clouds  and 
enables  them  to  rise  higher,  just  like  dropping  ballast  from 
a  balloon  enables  the  aeronaut  to  go  higher  and  fly 
further.  The  great  width  of  the  Columbia  river  enables 
vast  volumes  of  these  moisture  laden  clouds  and  fogs  to 
pass  inland  until  the  Cascade  range  interposes  its  mass 
and  height,  and  the  clouds  so  laden  are  turned  aside  into 
the  valleys  on  either  hand  and,  effected  by  the  cold  breezes 
from    the    mountains,    copious    rains    result.  The    Coast 

range  not  rising  high  enough  to  be  impassable  for  the  bulk 
of  the  heavily  laden  clouds,  furnishes  a  way  in  its  lower 
passes  where  they  fly  over  and  reinforce  the  volumes  sent 


46  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

up  the  Columbia.  The  Willamette  valley  is,  therefore, 
bountifully  supplied,  and  the  residue  sent  across  the  Cas- 
cades to  eastern  Oregon,  or  southerly  across  the  Calapooia 
mountains  to  the  Umpqua  valley,  where  they  are  reinforced 
by  a  goodly  supply  sent  inland  through  the  pass  furnished 
by  the  Umpqua  river  directly  from  the  ocean.  Still  other 
ranges  and  spurs  of  mountains  lie  between  the  Umpqua 
and  Rogue  River  valleys,  over  which  not  a  very  great  sur- 
plus passes  after  supplying  the  Willamette  and  Umpqua, 
leaving  Rogue  river  to  other  sources  of  supply.  It  is  true 
that  Rogue  river  also  flows  directly  into  the  ocean,  but  for 
fifty  miles  of  its  lower  course  it  passes  through  a  deep  and 
narrow  gorge  upon  each  side  of  which  the  mountains  rise 
to  a  great  height.  Threfore  Rogue  river  does  not  furnish 
passage  for  any  great  quantity  of  moisture  laden  clouds 
from  the  ocean,  and  that  coming  inland  over  the  high  Sis- 
kiyous  is  very  largely  precipitated  as  snow  on  the  mountains. 
This  insures  an  abundance  of  water  to  be  furnished  by  the 
streams  in  the  summer  for  irrigation  and  other  purposes 
and  relieves  us  from  the  annoyance  of  continued  rains  in 
the  winter  time.  It  will  be  seen  that  Rogue  River  valley, 
in  fact  all  the  valleys  lying  on  the  north  slope  of  the  Sis- 
kiyou island,  have  a  different  environment  from  the  other 
valleys  of  the  coast.  It  is  far  enough  inland  to  be  shut 
off  from  some  of  the  annoyance  of  extreme  humidity,  high 
enough  and  so  environed  with  snowy  mountains  as  to  be 
releived  from  extreme  heat  and  drought  so  characteristic  of 
southern  California,  and  with  sufficient  influence  from  al- 
titude and  ocean  currents  to  take  it  out  of  the  category 
of  "cold"  climates.  The  valleys  on  the  north  slope  of  the 
Old  Island  have,  therefore  an  unique  climate,  and  easily 
explainable  from  the  natural  conditions  environing  it — 
conditions  that  were  marked  out  by  the  architect  of  the 
Universe  while  yet  the  Pacific  ocean  covered  a  great  deal 
of  the  continent  and  Europe  was  still  largely  under  the 
sea. 

We  are  yet  to  consider  the  soils  which  to  a  great  extent 
determine  the  wealth  and  value  of  southwestern  Oregon. 
From  what  has  already  been  said  the  reader  will- remember 
that  the  mass  of  the  Siskiyou  mountains  is  largely  of  gran- 
ite. Hence  we  will  see  that  granite  very  generally  enters 
into  the  soils  of  the  valleys,  especially  on  that  side  of 
the  valley  directly  bordering  on  the  Siskiyou  mountains. 
On  the  other  side,  that  bordering  on  the  Cascades  and  the 
spurs  of  that  range,  we  will  find  the  soils  to  be  very  differ- 
ent.        Considerable    space    has    been    used    in    describing 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        47 

Grizzly  mountain  and  its  formation,  for  the  reason  that  it 
may  be  taken  as  a  type  of  the  Cascade  formation.  We 
have  seen  that  there  is  at  least  four  thousand  feet  of  sedi- 
ment forming  this  mountain  and  that  it  is  capped  with 
basaltic  lava,  and  that  there  are  many  extinct  volcanos  and 
mud  springs  on  its  sides.  This  is  not  only  true  of  Grizzly 
but  of  other  spurs  and  ridges  of  the  Cascades.  The  dis- 
integration of  the  shale,  sandstone,  clay,  gravel,  etc.,  would 
of  course  produce  soils  consistent  with  the  character  of  mat- 
erial being  used.  The  disintegration  of  basaltic  lava,  and 
the  mud  from  volcanic  springs  produce  a  "doby"  soil, 
very  strong  and  productive  but  sticky  and  disagreeable  to 
work  or  travel  over  when  it  is  wet.  From  the  Siskiyou 
side  comes  granite,  clay  and  lime  which,  when  mixed  near 
the  center  of  the  valley,  with  the  soils  coming  from  the 
Cascades  forms  a  combination  very  difficult  to  beat. 

Remembering  that  over  two  thousand  feet  of  the  sedi- 
mentary formation  of  Grizzly  is  above  the  top  of  the  oil 
well,  and  almost  as  much  more  between  the  top  and  bottom 
of  the  well,  we  will  realize  that  an  immense  amount  of  that 
which  was  raised  out  of  the  ocean  where  it  had  been 
deposited,  has  been  washed  away  and  that  the  present 
surface  of  the  valley  lies  more  than  a  thousand  feet  below 
the  great  boulder  beds  described  in  an  earlier  chapter. 
Lying  between  Medford  and  Eagle  Point  is  a  broad  level 
tract  of  country,  many  miles  in  extent,  which  is  called  the 
"desert,"  because  it  is  covered  with  washed  pebbles  and 
boulders.  This  so-called  "desert"  lies  along  the  Cascade 
side  of  the  valley,  and  a  few  miles  up  the  slope  of  the 
mountain  will  be  seen  here  and  there  the  exposed  boulder 
cliffs  with  the  sandstone  resting  on  top.  '  Elsewhere  we 
have  examined  and  described  this  sandstone  and  the  re- 
cords of  sea  action  on  the  cliffs  and  the  fossil  remains 
contained  in  them.  Miles  and  miles  of  these  sandstones 
have  been  eroded  and  washed  away  by  the  natural  wear  of 
the  sea  against  the  mountain.  The  softer  materials  were 
carried  away  by  the  billows  of  the  sea.  The  shales,  clays  and 
sandstones  were  broken  into  fragments  or  reduced  to  sand, 
but  these  boulders  were  not  so  easily  disposed  of.  By 
the  time  the  boulder  beds  were  reached  in  the  course  of  the 
erosion  of  the  mountain,  an  arm  of  the  sea,  or  possibly  a 
lake  had  formed  where  Rogue  River  valley  is  and  into  it 
these  boulders  were  washed  or  rolled,  as  the  cliffs  were  dis- 
integrated and  carried  seaward.  That  this  was  the  result 
of  sea  action  has  been  shown  by  the  old  sea  beaches  and 
the  surf  carved  sandstone  lying  on  top  of  the  boulder  beds. 


48  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

Along  Bear  creek  and  other  streams  having  tributaries 
coming  from  this  great  mass  of  sediment,  will  be  found  soil 
composed  of  a  fine  mould  that  has  been  enriched  by  the 
supply  of  organic  matter  held  in  the  sedimentary  deposits 
that  are  being  drawn  upon  by  every  spring  and  winter 
freshet.  Elsewhere  I  have  mentioned  a  horizon  of  coal. 
Near  Siskiyou  station  this  coal  is  almost  four  thousand  feet 
above  the  sea.  Following  the  coal  croppings  to  the 
northwest  along  Grizzly  mountain  we  see  the  horizon 
gradually  becoming  lower  and  lower,  which  really  marks 
the  grade  of  the  uplift,  for  this  horizon  of  coal  was  in  all 
probability  at  one  time  practically  at  the  sea  level.  At 
Coos  bay  we  will  find  the  coal  mines  being  worked  at  the 
level  of  the  ocean,  yet  it  is  doubtless,  the  same  deposit, 
or  rather  a  formation  of  coal  produced  all  along  this  line 
at,  or  about  the  same  period,  when  the  shore  we  have  been 
tracing  was  continuous  around  the  old  island  and  being 
bathed  by  the  waves  of  the  sea.  The  Cascades  rose  first 
and  carried  the  country  gradually  up  with  it,  sloping  sea- 
ward. Afterwards  another  folding  has  0C2urred  where 
the  Coast  range  is,  and  as  the  range  rose  slowly  from  the 
water  it  lifted  the  country  lying  between  it  and  the  Cas- 
cades, beginning  that  expansion  of  the  continent  which  has 
finally  produced  the  Willamette  and  Umpqua  valleys,  and 
shut  out  the  sea  from  Rogue  River  valley.  For  long  ages 
the  Willamette  valley  was  a  great  inland  sea  similar  to 
what  Puget  sound  now  is,  and  the  Columbia  river  was  a 
great  strait  similar  to  the  straits  of  Fuca,  connecting  the 
Willamette  sea  with  the  ocean.  This  uplifting  continued 
gradually  until  the  sea  was  entirely  expelled  and  the  Wil- 
lamette was  left  to  be  worked  by  Nature's  methods  into 
the  wonderful  country  which  we  now  see  it.  After  the 
rising  of  the  Coast  range  as  before  suggested,  it  appears 
that  Rogue  River  valley  became  a  lake  or  land-locked  arm 
of  the  sea.  The  fossils  and  fresh  water  beach  lines,  now 
plainly  marked  on  the  slope  of  Grizzly  indicate  this.  Dur- 
ing that  time  there  is  no  doubt  that  much  of  the  sediment 
that  forms  the  present  soils  of  the  valley  was  being  deposit- 
ed, from  the  older  worked  over  sediments  that  were  bein^ 
washed  from  the  surrounding  mountains,  and  thoroughly 
mixed  at  the  bed  of  this  lake  or  sea  arm.  The  waves  of 
the  ocean  no  longer  operating  along  the  sandstone  and 
boulder  cliffs,  the  wearing  away  of  these  masses  became 
very  slow  and  the  boulders  were  being  left  on  the  talus 
slopes  and  foothills  of  the  valley,  and  were  not  carried  down 
into    the    valley-surface    deposit,    except    on    the    so-called 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        49 

"desert",  which  appears  to  have  been  the  last  to  be 
drained  of  its  water  and  there  we  find  the  boulders  on  the 
surface,  in  little  rounded  areas  depressed  in  the  middle, 
just  as  we  see  the  coarser  materials  of  deposit  now  being 
left  in  little  clusters  and  bunches  at  the  bottoms  of  shallow 
lakes  that  are  disturbed  by  waves  and  currents.  That 
these  deposits  came  from  the  Cascade  mountains  is  evident 
from  the  fact  that  the  soil  deposited  with  the  boulders  is, 
at  least  on  the  top,  "dob'y"  from  the  basaltic  lava  that  is 
only  found  in  that  direction.  This  boulder-strewn  area 
will  sometime  in  the  future  be  reclaimed  by  removing  the 
boulders  and  cultivating  the  strong  "doby"  soil  that  is 
plentiful  and  very  productive.  To  discuss  the  possible 
source  of  these  boulder  cliffs  would  lead  too  far  afield  for 
the  purposes  of  this  little  book.  Besides  nothing  more 
than  a  theory  could  be  advanced  to  account  for  them.  It 
would,  however,  call  us  into  a  geological  review  of  east- 
ern Oregon  and  a  more  elaborate  discussion  of  the  Cascade 
range,  old  river  beds  beyond  the  mountains  and  the  fossil 
beds  of  the  Great  Basin  between  the  Cascades  and  the 
±tocky  mountains.  We  will  not  go  into  this  at  this  time, 
but  in  the  following  chapter  I  will  add  a  word  on  Crater 
lake  which  will  involve  some  further  notice  of  the  Cascade 
range. 

We  have  already  devoted  considerable  time  in  discuss- 
ing the  formation  of  the  Cascade  range  in  order  to  show  its 
relation  to  the  Old  Island  and  influence  upon  the  climate 
and  soil  of  Rogue  River  valley  and  have  said  little  of  the 
formation,  mineral  resources  and  scenic  attractions  of  the 
Siskiyous.  In  fact  it  appears  to  me  that  among  the  important 
assests  of  Oregon  are  its  scenic  attractions.  These  of 
course  are  not  confined  to  the  section  of  the  state  of  which 
this  little  book  assumes  chiefly  to  treat.  In  the  belief  that 
the  divesion  will  not  detract  from  the  reader's  interest, 
I  will  insert  as  the  following  chapter,  a  lecture  (somewhat 
changed),  delivered  by  me  before  the  Oregon  Development 
League  at  Salem  in  November,  19  06,  and  which  was  after- 
wards published  in  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  Bulletin  at 
Portland.  The  subject  assigned  to  me  was  Scenic  Oregon, 
a  subject  that  could  easily  be  made  to  fill  a  volume  and  in 
the  discussion  of  which  a  single  lecture  was  not  adequate. 


Chapter  VII. 

SCENIC  ATTRACTIONS   AND   HOW   AVE   SHOULD   VIEW 

THEM. 

*  *  *  *    "And   I   have   felt 

A  presence  that  disturbs  me  with  the  joy 
Of  elevated  thoughts;    a  sense  sublime 
Of   something   far   more   deeply    interfused, 
Whose  dwelling  is  the  light  of  setting  suns, 
And  the  round  ocean  and  the  living  air, 
And  the  sky,  and  in  the  mind  of  man." 

—  ( Wordsworth. ) 

This  is  an  age  of  commercialism.  Dollars  and  cents 
furnish  the  trade  mark  in  the  world's  activity.  Climate 
and  soil  must  stand  the  test  of  adaptibility  and  pro- 
ductiveness, and  the  label  on  the  can  or  package  consti- 
tutes the  best  advertising  matter  in  this  age  of  money 
getting. 

The  rigors  of  climate  create  resourcefulness  in  the 
methods  devised  to  overcome  and  modify  the  effects,  and 
its  very  inconveniences  are  productive  of  new  fields  of  en- 
ergy and  enterprise.  The  ancient  storage  batteries  of  the 
sun  are  exploited  in  the  development  of  coal  mines  in 
climates  most  rigorous  and  regions  the  most  desolate. 

The  magnificent  forests  of  our  mountains  are  attacked 
by  an  insatiable  savagery  born  of  greed.  The  streams 
that  come  leaping,  sparkling  and  singing  from  the  moun- 
taln  heights  are  viewed  with  the  eyes  of  cupidity  and 
engineers  are  employed  to  estimate  the  horsepower  they 
see  running  away,  or  the  acres  that  may  be  irrigated  by 
them,  the  dollar  mark  being  kept  constantly  in  view. 

The  moment  a  new  usefulness  is  discovered  in  the  end- 
less bounties  of  nature,  the  genius  of  man  finds  a  method 
of  appropriating  it.  The  beauties  of  nature  are  marred 
or  destroyed  with  a  ruthlessness  born  of  greed,  the  spirit 
of  the  age. 

The  delightful  parks  and  glades  in  our  mountain 
fastnesses,  where  nature  -runs  riot  in  the  creation  of  beauty 
and  song,  are  made  desolate  for  the  benefit  of  the  wool 
market  and  stock  yards.  The  spirit,  however,  which 
prompts  all  this  is,  in  the  main,  all  right.  In  fact  I  am 
inclined  to  agree  with  Pope  that  "whatever  is,  is  right." 

It  does  not  follow  that  because  the  commercial  spirit 


AND  MARBLE   HALLS  OP  OREGON.  51 

Is  uppermost  and  always  aggressive,  the  esthetic  quality  in 
man  is  growing  less.  In  the  home  we  have  music,  pictures* 
poetry  and  about  the  home  flowers,  fruit  and  fragrance. 
We  live  for  love,  and  love  revels  in  that  which  soothes  and 
pleases  the  mind.  The  grand  in  nature  finds  admiration 
in  the  souls  of  men,  and  in  the  contemplation  of  it  man 
finds  not  only  recreation  and  rest,  but  opportunity  for  study 
and  food  for  dreaming.  The  softer  sentiments  wherein 
lie  the  sweetest  possibilities  are  not  in  the  every  day 
struggle  for  lucre,  but  in  the  moments  of  respite,  when 
music  charms,  the  fragrance  of  flowers  soothe,  and  the 
poetic  sentiment  springs  to  the  spot  where  room  is  made 
for  it. 

The  Switzer  or  Highland  Scottsman  tunes  his  harp 
to  sing  of  the  beauties  and  grandeurs  of  his  native  land. 
When  away  from  it  he  longs  to  return  to  it,  and  'tis  then, 
when  far  away  and  homesick,  memory  comes  to  his  aid. 
Again  he  revels  among  the  hills  and  peaks  of  his  nativity. 
'Tis  then  the  absent  Switzer  remembers  that  the  highest 
Alps,  the  glaciers  and  sunken  lakes  make  up  one  of  the 
greatest  assets  of  his  native  land.  It  is  there  and  be- 
cause of  that,  that  thousands  of  pilgrims  from  all  quarters 
of  the  globe  congregate.  There  and  for  the  moment  the 
struggle  for  money  is  forgotten  and  the  enjoyment  of  the 
sweets  to  be  purchased  with  it  is  felt.  There,  is  spent 
with  lavish  hand  the  dollars  that  were  elsewhere  sought 
with  almost  savage  greed. 

It  is  in  the  hours  of  such  pleasure  that  the  tight  fisted 
become  the  openhanded,  and  those  whose  country  furnishes 
that  for  which  they  lavishly  pay,  reap  rich  harvest  from 
foreign  coffers.  To  the  dwellers  there,  the  great  natural 
wonders  they  have  to  show  become  assets  of  greatest  profit. 
Mountain  peaks  and  glaciers,  sunken  lakes  and  water-falls 
are  resources,  and  counted  as  such. 

These  things  speak  a  universal  language  and  are 
understood  by  the  charmed  multitude,  though  that  multi- 
tude may  not  understand  the  language  of  the  human  units 
that   make   it   up. 

"A  motion  and  a  spirit,  that  impels 

All  thinking  things,  all  objects  of  all  thought, 

And  rolls  through  all  things.        Therefore  am  I  still 

A  lover  of  the  meadows  and  the  woods, 

And  mountains;   and  of  all  that  we  behold 

Prom  this  green  earth;  of  all  the  mighty  world 

Of  eye  and  ear,  both  what  they  half  create 

And  what  perceive;    well  pleased  to  recognize 


52  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

In  nature  and  language  of  the  sense, 
The  anchor  of  my  purest  thoughts,  the  nurse, 
The  guide,  the  guardian  of  my  heart,  and  soul 
Of  all  my  moral  being." 

So  sang  Wordsworth  of  those  subtle  influences  awaken- 
ed in  him  as  he  he  reveled  in  "Gods  Out  of  Door."  Every 
lover  of  nature  knows  what  such  sentiments  are  and  how 
the  nerves  tingle  with  the  joy  of  the  sdul;  the  pulsating 
throb  of  the  Universe. 

The  millions  upon  millions  of  dollars  that  are  annually 
carried  out  of  our  own  county  by  sight-seeing  pilgrims  to 
foreign  lands,  are  no  less  purchasers  of  the  products  of 
such  lands  than  are  those  who  buy  of  their  manufactured 
articles  and  products  of  the  soil.  No  country  is  richer 
in  these  natural  wonders  than  our  own.  If  such  sights  and 
scenes  are  resources  of  value  there,  why  ought  not  we, 
with  many  as  great  and  some  greater,  class  them  upon 
the  utilitarian  side  in  that  which  they  bring  to  us  from 
the  wealth  of  the  sightseeing,  while  at  the  same  time 
our  esthetic  taste  is  charmed  and  strengthened?  A  whole 
volume  would  be  crowded  with  even  a  meager  description 
of  the  sights  and  scenes  in  our  own  state  that  are  worthy 
of  the  closest  attention  of  travelers  and  sight-seers. 

The  entry  into  Oregon  from  California  by  the  Southern 
Pacific  railroad — one  of  the  most  delightfully  scenic  roads 
in  the  world — never  fails  to  charm,  even  the  most  phlegma- 
tic. To  climb  the  Siskiyou  mountains  and  view  the  broad  ex- 
panse of  mountain  billows  through  the  gentle  silvery  sheen 
of  an  autumn  sunlight,  is  a  treat  never  to  be  forgotten. 
To  sit  at  the  car  window  as  the  train  speeds  along  through 
the  valleys  of  Oregon,  and  drink  in  the  delights  of  an  ever 
changing  panorama,  nature's  own  painting,  encased  in  its 
framework  of  mountains,  many  of  which  pierce  the  blue 
vault,  snow  capped  and  pine  clad,  is  a  great  treat 
that  opens  the  heart  and  hand  of  the  most  tightfisted  and 
so-called  practical  business  man.  The  generosity  thus 
aroused  is  an  asset  we  should  not  ignore. 

A  climb  to  the  summit  of  Mt.  McLauglin  brings  en- 
chantment in  the  view  presented;  twenty  lakes  are  within 
vision,  each  a  gem  nestling  in  the  forests  that  surround 
the  base  of  the  mighty  mountain.  These  lakes  are  cold, 
pearly  clear,  and  filled  with  trout  while  the  forest  abounds 
in    game. 

Until  you  have  seen  Crater  lake  your  tour  of  sight- 
seeing will  be  incomplete.  It  is  admitted  to  be  one  of 
the  great  wonders  of  the  world.      It   is  unique  among  the 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        53 

great  natural  wonders.  It  is  the  deepest  body  of  fresh 
water  with  the  single  exception  of  Lake  Baikal  in  Siberia. 
It  is  the  crater  of  an  extinct  volcano,  the  greatest  of  its 
kind;  twenty  miles  in  circumference,  four  thousand  feet 
deep,  with  a  depth  of  over  two  thousand  feet  of  water. 
Its  banks  tower  two  thousand  feet  above  the  water  surface, 
from  which  they  appear  awe-inspiring  in  their  grandeur. 
The  inside  dimensions  at  its  water  surface  are  six  and  a 
quarter  by  four  and  a  quarter  miles,  and  snow  banks  per- 
petually decorate  the  inner  rim  of  the  crater.  There  are 
no  visible  inlets  or  outlets  to  or  from  the  lake,  and  the 
water  as  seen  from  the  cliffs  is  in  color,  ultra  marine, 
except  in  a  few  shallow  places  near  the  shore,  where  It 
changes  to  the  deepest  green.  Near  the  west  side  is 
Wizard  island,  a  cinder  cone,  the  last  chimney  of  the  old 
volcano,  standing  eight  hundred  forty-five  feet  above  the 
water  with  a  crater  in  the  top  five  hundred  feet  across  and 
a  hundred  feet  deep.  Two  miles  east  of  the  island  the 
water  is  two  thousand  two  hundred  feet  deep,  making  the 
island  a  mountain  inside  the  main  crater  more  than  three 
thousand  feet  high.  The  crater  in  this  island  also  has 
its  banks  of  perpetual  snow.  Around  the  lake  fragments 
of  glaciers  still  cling,  and  evidences  of  glacial  action  out- 
side of  the  rim  of  the  great  crater,  together  with  the 
character  of  the  formation,  shows  conclusively  that  where 
the  lake  now  is  was  formerly  a  mountain  towering,  perhaps, 
six  or  eight  thousand  feet  above  its  present  highest  pin- 
nacle, which  has  been  torn  away  and  scattered  over  the 
surrounding  country.  Imagination  is  called  into  action 
with  little  fear  of  exaggeration.  The  lake  has  been  stock- 
ed by  the  government  with  rainbow  trout  and  not  long 
ago  I  caught  trout  there  that  measured  eighteen  inches  in 
length,  and  am  told  that  it  is  not  unusual  to  find  them 
two  feet  long. 

About  the  lake  are  many  noted  peaks  and  beautiful 
natural  parks.  The  highest  points  are  more  than  eight 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  and  the  view  from  any  one  of 
them  is  magnificent.     Join  me  while  we  view  this  panorama. 

Follow  the  slope  of  the  mountains  toward  the  south 
along  yonder  canyon,  until  it  is  lost  in  the  gloom  of  the 
forest  and  rocky  gorge.  From  a  dark  hole  in  the  moun- 
tain side,  with  many  a  babbling  sound  and  musical  ripple, 
flows  Anna's  creek,  as  if  laughing  in  its  glee  at  once  more 
beholding  the  sunlight  and  mountain  shadows  after  a  tur- 
bulent journey  through  Plutonian  darkness  in  its  passage 
from  Crater  lake.        Its  course  for  a  dozen  succeeding  miles 


54  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

is  through  a  romantic  canyon,  with  vertical  walls  hundreds 
of  feet  high.  This  of  course  we  cannot  see  from  our 
perch,  but  we  can  see  the  course  of  the  canyon,  and  where 
it  enters  Klamath  valley,  which  is  spread  out  below  us 
like  a  map,  or  painting  clothed  in  yellow  and  green,  its 
broad  stretches  of  meadow,  fringed  and  separated  by  long 
lines  of  tamarack  and  willow,  making  the  water  courses 
clear  and  cold,  a  veritable  fisherman's  paradise.  Further 
on  is  seen  the  shining  surface  of  "Big"  Klamath  lake, 
bordered  and  fringed  with  its  marshes  of  tule  and  Pelican 
Bay,  the  recently  purchased  summer  home  of  E  H  Harriman, 
the  whole  incased  with  a  framework  of  mountains,  whose 
summits  to  the  west  are  covered  with  snow,  their  sides 
clothed  with  dense  forests  of  pine  and  fir,  appearing  dark 
blue  in  the  distance,  while  high,  craggy,  sparsely  timbered 
basaltic  ridges  rise  to  the  east. 

At  the  southern  end  of  Klamath  lake  the  mountains 
have  dwindled  in  proportions  and  are  bare  of  timber. 
Through  them  and  having  its  course  southward,  we  mark 
a  canyon  and  through  it  we  know  that  Link  river  runs, 
and  though  only  a  mile  and  a  half  in  length,  it  drains  an 
immense  area  of  country.  The  Klamath  Basin  comprising 
several  thousand  square  miles,  is  in  plain  view,  and  still 
further  on  Mt.  Shasta  pierces  the  blue  vault  14,440  feet 
high,  and  though  a  hundred  miles  away  it  seems  near  at 
hand. 

To  the  southeast  skirting  the  mountains  that  lie  to 
the  east  of  Link  River  Basin,  is  Lost  river,  which  further 
on  empties  into  Tule  lake,  that  silvery  spot  with  its  dark 
back  ground  of  lava  beds,  where  Canby  and  Thomas  fell, 
victims  of  a  mistaken  policy  in  the  war  with  Captain  Jack, 
the  renegade  Modoc  chief.  Just  below  us  only  twenty 
miles  away  and  plainly  seen  on  the  bank  of  Wood  river  is 
old  Fort  Klamath  where  Captain  Jack  and  three  of  his 
murderous  companions  were  hanged  in  October  1873.  I 
witnessed  the  execution  and  on  the  next  day  made  my  first 
vist  to  Crater  lake  thirty-five  years  ago.  From  our  stand  on 
the  brink  of  this  great  abyss  we  now  turn  to  the  east  and  ob- 
tain a  wonderful  expanse  of  vision.  The  "Great  Oregon  des- 
ert." is  in  view,  with  Steins  mountains  beyond  it,  where  Chief 
Moses  toyed  with  Uncle  Sam's  wavering  policies  during  the 
war  of  187  8  and  1879.  To  the  northeast,  Bear  creek 
buttes  rear  their  heads  six  thousand  feet  above  sea  level, 
and  mark,  practically  the  geographical  center  of  Oregon. 
To  the  north  Diamond  peak  and  the  Three  Sisters  may 
be  seen   along  the  fracture  line  of  the  Cascades,   marking 


AND   MARBLE   HALLS  OF   OREGON.  55 

spots  once  energetic  in  volcanic  action.  To  the  west  we 
may  trace  the  coast  range  for  many  a  mile.  To  the  south- 
west Mt.  McLauglin  shines  like  burnished  steel  in  the  sun- 
light only  thirty  miles  away,  while  still  beyond  it  the 
rugged  Siskiyous  add  still  further  grandeur  to  the  view  and 
fragments  of  Rogue  River  valley  are  thrown  into  the  pic- 
ture by  way  of  decoration.  In  short  we  are  standing  on 
a  pivot  upon  which  we  may  turn  and  have  within  the  scope 
of  our  vision  thousands  of  square  miles  of  territory,  em- 
bracing mountain  and  plain,  hill  and  vale,  desert  lands 
and  garden  spots,  lakes  and  rivers,  winter  and  summer 
and  spots  that  are  bloody  pages  in  the  history  of  Oregon 
and  California.  Here  we  are  standing  on  the  very  spot 
where  the  most  violent  volcanic  action  occurred  during 
that  period  when  an  expansion  of  the  continent  was 
wresting  our  Old  Island  from  its  lonely  environment  of 
ocean,  and  bringing  to  the  sunlight  an  empire  of  the  west; 
here  nature  thundered  her  loudest  acclaims  when  Oregon 
was  born. 

Neither  time  nor  the  purpose  of  this  little  volume 
will  permit  extended  particular  description  of  the  many 
interesting  sights  to  be  found  in  Oregon,  which  is  varied 
beyond  conception  in  the  richness  of  its  many  scenic 
wonders.  Perhaps  in  another  volume  I  may  attempt  to 
depict  in  proper  phrase  the  Columbia  that  rolls  its  billows 
to  the  sea;  Hood,  the  queen  of  mountains;  Jefferson,  the 
Three  Sisters,  Diamond  peak,  and  the  thousands  of  sights 
hidden  away  in  the  Cascades,  Coast  range  and  Blue  moun- 
tains with  their  valleys  between.  We  have  yet  much  to 
explore  in  the  Old  Island.  I  can  not,  however,  resist  the 
temptation  of  a  little  further  digression. 

The  present  and  the  future  generations  owe  and  will 
owe,  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  projectors  of  the  great  Cas- 
cade forest  reserve,  and  to  them  will  fall  the  sacred  duty 
of  preserving  it  in  the  interest  of  the  public.  There  we 
may  go  for  health,  for  recreation  and  pleasure.  These 
great  forest  reserves  constitute  a  substantial  resource  that 
will  not  be  exhausted  by  a  proper  use  of  them. 

In  his  book  entitled  "The  Mountains  of  California," 
John  Muir  has  dedicated  one  of  the  finest  tributes  to  nature 
that  has  ever  been  written.  He  has  not  written  rhyme, 
but  every  page  is  a  poem.  No  one  can  read  what  he  says, 
if  the  reader  has  a  spark  of  love  of  nature  in  him — and 
most  people  have,  though  it  may  be  latent — without  being 
carried  out  of  himself,  out  of  his  human  surroundings  and 
into  that  realm  of  beauty  which  only  requires  a  little  exper- 


56  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

ience  to  make  a  genuine  enthusiastic.  There  is  no  re- 
creation that  so  strengthens  the  physical  and  at  the  same 
time  elevates,  ennobles  and  charms,  as  that  of  mountain 
climbing.  Those  who  have  been  denied  the  privilege  from 
any  cause  have  not  filled  out  the  possibilities  of  their  con- 
ceptions of  intricate  variety  in  the  beauties  of  nature. 
To  wander  alone  in  the  mountain  forests  and  listen  to  the 
crooning  of  nature's  nymphs  is  to  love  that  solitude  for  the 
company  it  furnishes.  To  watch  the  destructive  cyclone 
on  the  broad  plains  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  or  even  t<> 
read  of  it,  arouses  a  feeling  of  terror  of  the  dread  forces 
of  winds  run  wild;  but  to  listen  to  the' gentleness  of  these 
same  winds  tuned  to  the  musical  instruments  nature  has 
provided  in  the  pine  tops,  is  to  lapse  into  a  sense  ol 
security,  with  every  nerve  responsive  to  the  music  thej 
make. 

Who  that  has  sought  the  nigber  mountains  has  no! 
been  conscious  of  the  stillness  with  both  music  and  incense 
in  it;  the  gentle  rustling  of  the  pint  needles,  th?  tremu- 
lous movements  of  boughs  and  blanches,  the  sul-eu  sough- 
ing of  the  winds  in  the  higher  passes,  the  gentle  lullaby  of  a 
l'eighboring  rill,  or  the  rush  and  roar  of  some  cataract.. 
Ihe  ever  present  perfume  of  the  myriads  of  plants  and 
flowers  and  resins,  forces  a  conception  of  nature's  cathe- 
dral, where  praises  are  sung  and  incense  is  offered  up  to  the 
mighty  and  unseen  forces  that  have  built  up  these  massive 
piles. 

Those  who  live  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  grand- 
est of  mountain  scenery,  by  their  very  familiarity  of  near- 
ness, are  often  most  ignorant  of  the  beauties  and  benefits, 
and  seem  contented  if  the  localities  are  within  the  line  oi 
vision  and  feel  no  desire,  or  curiosity  for  nearer  investi- 
gation. Man  builds  great  sanitariums  for  the  recupera- 
tion of  the  votaries  of  fashion,  whose  leisure  has  been 
misspent  in  the  atmosphere  of  pestilence  and  bad  breath, 
and  who  name  these  places  "health  resorts."  The  change 
is  simply  from  one  kind  of  dissipation  to  another;  instead 
of  building  up  wasted  tissue,  they  pull  down  that  which 
has  suffered  least,  to  keep  company  with  that  which  has 
suffered  more.  It  is  said  that  "the  lowest  valleys  and 
the  highest  hilltops  were  the  Masons'  first  Lodge  room," 
and  that  the  "groves  were  God's  first  temples."  It  may 
now  be  truthfully  said,  as  a  rule,  that  the  lowest  valleys 
are  the  haunts  of  men,  and  where  you  find  the  densest 
population  you  will  also  find  that  the  mental,  physical  and 
morals  of  humanity  suffers  most.  Wickedness  seeks  the 


AND  MARBLE   HALLS  OP  OREGON.  57 

multitude,  and  the  multitude  grows  more  wicked  from  the 
contact.  That  is  called  artificial  which  is  the  result  of 
human  ingenuity,  and  human  ingenuity  is  bent  to  its 
greatest  effort  to  pander  to  the  passions  of  men  and  women, 
because  it  pays  best  in  money.  He  who  seeks  the  solititude 
of  the  mountain  for  the  love  of  it,  parts  company  with 
avarice  and  wickedness  at  least  for  the  time,  and  revels 
among  the  virgin  beauties  of  nature,  fresh  from  the  hands 
of  nature's  God.  The  great  book  is  here  opened  to  him, 
and  as  he  views  it  all  in  wonder  and  wrapped  admiration, 
he  feels  inclined  to  enlarge  upon  Pope,  and  to  say  "the 
greatest  study  of  man  is  Nature."  There  is  no  question 
that  the  study  of  man  is  a  great  and  proper  study,  but  to 
study  him  to  the  exclusion  of  the  other  great  lessons  that 
the  Creator  has  spread  out  around  us  in  Nature,  is  to  mis- 
construe and  restrict  some  of  the  strongest  evidences  of  a 
great  and  over-ruling  power,  whose  law  is  nature,  and 
whose  records  are  the  rocks,  the  hills  and  the  valleys.  The 
instruments  with  which  these  records  are  written  are  the 
elements  of  nature  with  which  we  must  reckon  in  our 
study.  We  cannot  neglect  these  in  our  study  of  mankind. 
The  eternal  principles  of  evolution  are  everywhere  vouched 
for  and  emphasized.  No  one  will  seriously  find  fault  with 
the  hope  that  after  this  life  a  new  page  will  be  opened  to 
humanity.  None  will  seriously  wish  to  believe  that  this 
life  is  not  a  steppingstone  to  a  better  one.  It  seems  to 
me  consistent  with  such  a  wish  and  such  a  hope  that,  if  in 
the  other  life  we  are  to  be  graded  and  assigned  by  any  rule, 
or  standard,  it  must  in  a  measure  depend  on  our  study 
and  appreciation  of  nature  as  it  is  here  opened  out. 

To  whatever  we  may  be  indebted  for  the  life  present 
and  to  come,  we  are  also  indebted  for  that  which  gives  us 
genuine  pleasure  in  this  life,  and  that  pleasure  depends 
largely  upon  our  study,  understanding  of  and  adaptation 
to  the  conditions  we  find  in  the  material  world  about  us. 
We  grow  tired  of  darkness  and  wish  for  the  sunshine. 
We  are  not  satisfied  with  music,  nor  sermons,  nor  any 
other  one  thing.  We  appropriate  to  our  use  the  infinite 
variety  and  details  that  belong  to  the  material  mass 
without  stopping  to  think  of  the  relations  we  bear  to  them, 
or  they  to  each  other.  We  do  not  stop  to  study  these  re- 
lations and  have  no  conception  of  the  beauties  and  start- 
ling surprises  in  store  for  the  student  of  nature,  who  of  all 
others  can  fully  understand  such  impaired  passages  as  have 
been  written  by  Wordsworth,  Byron  and  other  poets  who 
have  gone  out  of  the  herds  of  humanity  into  the  majesty 


58  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

of  untamed  nature  and  there,  forgetting  the  ager  have 
opened  and  read  the  great  book.  Such  as  they,  can 
appreciate  the  beauties  of  Muir's  descriptions  and  are  made 
better  by  the  change  of  companionship.       Byron  says: 

There's  pleasure  in  the  pathless  woods 
There  is  beauty  on  the  lonely  shore. 

There  is  society  where  none  intrude 
By  the  deep  sea,  and  music  in  its  roar. 

I  love  man  not  the  less,  but  nature  more, 
From  these,  my  wanderings       *        *      * 

To  understand  well  is  to  observe  closely;  and  how 
many  do  so  observe?  Read  Muir's  description  of  the 
Douglas  squirrel  and  whether  you  have  ever  seen  this 
little  animal  or  not,  you  will  be  conscious  of  following  one 
whose  whole  soul  is  in  his  study,  and  who  has  not  lost  sight 
of  the  slightest  detail.  To  one  who  has  closely  watched 
this  little  bundle  of  sunshine  and  muscle,  comes  the  delight 
of  seeing  him  again  in  his  native  haunts.  So  delightfully 
complete  is  the  description  that  you  hear  his  chatter;  you 
can  see  the  majesty  of  the  forest  where  he  makes  his 
home;  you  smell  the  odors  of  the  pine  woods  and  the 
balsam  of  the  firs;  the  fragrance  of  the  flowers  and  grasses 
delight  your  senses;  every  pine  needle  and  cluster  of  leafy 
foliage  varies  the  monotony  of  a  steady  sunlight  and  carries 
to  you  so  soothingly  the  music  of  movement  and  murmur, 
that  every  chord  of  a  healthy  being  becomes  responsive 
to  the  melody. 

Whatever  may  be  our  conception  of  the  Creator  we 
are  here  nearest  to  Him,  and  as  we  tune  our  souls  to  har- 
mony with  such  environment  we  come  into  closer  contact 
with  the  Creator  and  His  creation,  "He  in  us  and  we  in 
Him",  part  and  parcel  of  harmonious  whole  in  which  is  no 
discord,  except  in  man's  egotism  or  selfishness  he  makes  it. 
He  who  seeks  the  grove  finds  there  the  Temple.  He  climbs 
to  the  mountain  top  and  as  he  stands  there  and  feasts  his 
soul  on  the  grandeur  and  beauty  that  is  spread  out  around 
and  below  him,  his  consciousness  is  more  than  admiration; 
it  is  reverence  in  the  presence  of  an  unseen  and  mighty 
power,  and  his  sentiment  is  that  of  adoration  for  the  author 
of  it.  It  needs  not  the  weak  devices  of  humanity  to  direct 
his  attention;  human  devices  are  not  needed  for  such  a 
sermon — a  veritable  "Sermon  on  the  Mount."  Nature 
sings  her  own  songs;  the  poet  calls  it  the  "music  of  the 
spheres." 

In  the  presence  of  matured  nature  the  old  grow  young 


AND  MARBLE   HALLS  OF   OREGON.  5V> 

again,  moral  and  physical  miasmas  are  left  behind  in  the 
haunts  of  men.  The  grateful  shade*  the  leaping  and  singing 
of  the  water>  fresh  from  nature's  fountain*  sparkling  and 
bright  as  the  dew-drops  of  the  morning,  invite  to  restful 
repose,  while  the  fragrance  of  nature  steals  away  the 
senses*  and  the  sweets  of  unhaunted  dream-land  make  an 
Elysium  of  her  own  combinations.  Here*  then  is  the 
sanatorium  that  meets  every  requirement*  fills  every  want, 
where  is  built  up  every  tissue;  here  the  mental*  physical 
and  moral  receives  each  its  proper  treatment.  Such  a 
book  speaks  a  universal  language.  No  translation  or  re- 
vision is  required.  It  makes  no  difference  what  tongue 
is  spoken  by  the  auditor,  nor  whether  he  be  educated  or 
ignorant,  savage  or  civilized*  he  can  read,  for  himself,  and 
if  he  will  study  the  book  he  will  gain  understanding  from 
it.  It  is  the  book  of  books,  nature  itself,  written  by  the 
author  of  all,  and  furnishing  the  text  and  substance  of 
every  other  book.  Why,  then  is  he  who  admires  it  most, 
seeks  it,  studies  it,  and  adores  the  author  of  it  not  a 
consistent  worshiper,  and  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  its 
Creator  and  his. 

He  who  makes  the  roses  grow,  where  before  was  a 
bleak  hillside  or  barren  spot,  is  a  worker  in  the  Father's 
vineyard.  He  who  studies  nature  and  improves  the  quality 
of  fruit  is  a  public  benefactor,  and  draws  his  inspiration 
from  the  book.  There  is  a  voice  crying  in  the  wilderness 
that  rustles  the  leaves  in  the  tree  tops.  The  birds  mingle 
their  melody  with  the  fragrance  of  the  flowers,  ferns  and 
grasses.  There  all  is  life,  activity  and  joyous  freedom, 
so  delightfully  blended  as  to  make  up  the  most  harmonious 
whole.  Man  alone  is  a  breeder  of  discord  in  his  scramble 
with  man.  There  are  too  many  teachers  among  the 
creatures,  with  little  thought  of  the  lessons  of  harmony 
taught  in  the  book  of  nature. 


Chapter.  VIII. 

A   MORE    PARTICULAR   EXAMINATION   OF   THE 
SISKIYOUS. 

"Here  I  and  the  beasts  of  the  desert  agree, 
Mankind  are  the  wolves  that  I  fear, 

They  grudge  me  my  natural  right  to  be  free, 
But  nobody  questions  it  here." — (Cowper). 

In  the  preceding  chapters  we  have  devoted  the  space  in 
proof  of  the  insular  character  of  the  Siskiyou  mountains 
in  pre-historic  times.  We  have  shown  that  it  is  one  of 
the  oldest  pieces  of  terra  firma  among  the  continents  of 
today.  We  will  naturally  expect  to  see  a  very  material 
difference  in  its  rocks,  minerals  and  soils,  from  the  country 
we  have  been  exploiting,  though  we  find  the  two  abutting 
upon  each  other. 

We  have  discovered  that  the  mineral  wealth  for  which 
northwestern  California  and  southwestern  Oregon  have  been 
noted  since  the  earliest  settlement  of  this  west  coast,  is 
found  in  and  around  the  Old  Island.  We  have  discovered 
that  the  Siskiyou  mountains  afford  a  watershed  with  its 
axis  almost  corresponding  with  the  line  that  separates  these 
two  states,  turning  the  water  to  the  north  and  south,  and 
that  the  axis  of  th6  Siskiyou  range  is  east  and  west,  which 
is  at  right  angles  with  the  usual  trend  of  the  mountain 
ranges  of  the  continent.  We  have  discovered  that  the 
climate  of  the  region  affected  by  this  old  mountain  island 
is  different  from  that  to  be  found  elsewhere.  It  now 
rests  with  us  to  make  a  closer  examination  of  that  part  of 
the  interior  of  the  old  island  embraced  within  the  limits 
of  the  Siskiyou  range,  and  to  make  a  closer  scrutiny  of 
this  ancient  land.  I  have  mentioned  the  geological  assign- 
ment of  the  island  to  the  cretaceous  period;  the  word  cre- 
taceous means  chalky,  and  relates  to  a  formation  of  so  dis- 
tinctive a  character,  as  to  give  its  name  to  that  period  dur- 
ing which  it  was  formed.  In  fact  we  do  not  know  how 
long  before  that  period  the  mass  of  the  island  was  formed, 
but  that  it  was  here  as  a  large  body  before  the  cretaceous 
fossils,  we  are  sure,  for  we  find  them  in  the  sandstone  that 
laps  up  on  its  old  shore.  I  do  not  intend  to  enter  into 
a  geological  discussion  further  than  to  assure  an  under- 
standing of  what  is  to  follow.  From  the  term  "chalk", 
it  is  not  to  be  understood  that  this  formation  consists 
wholly  of  that  article  known  to  commerce  and  the  school 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        61 

room  as  "chalk"  and  called  by  that  name.  It  consists  of 
chalky  matter  sometimes  with  flints,  sometimes  with  marl, 
sometimes  with  neither  and  frequently  merging  into  various 
kinds  of  limestone,  intermixed  with  sandstone  filled  with 
shells  and  other  fossil  remains  of  that  period,  particularly 
crustaceans,  the  shelly  covering  of  whose  bodies,  being  of  a 
limy  character,  enters  into  the  limestone  formations  peculiar 
to  that  period  to  which  this  section  is  assigned.  Within 
the  Old  Island  are  extensive  limestone  caverns,  of  an  older 
date  than  the  cretaceous.  These  caverns  and  marble  halls 
are  of  great  extent  and  to  the  description  of  which  a 
chapter  will  be  given  further  on.  Suffice  it  to  say  at  this 
time,  that  it  is  generally  understood  that  the  larger  caves 
and  caverns  of  the  earth  are  to  be  found  in  limestone  for- 
mation, though  not  wholly  or  necessarily  so.  For  instance 
the  picturesque  cave  of  Fingal,  in  Staffa,  is  in  basalt,  and 
in  many  places  modern  lava  contains  caverns  of  great  extent. 
Rock  salt  and  other  formations  susceptible  to  the  action  of 
water,  form  many  interesting  and  beautiful  caverns.  Pro- 
fessor Liebig  in  explaining  the  formation  of  stalactites  and 
stalagmites,  has  suggested  that  agency  which  rapidly  forms 
caverns  in  limestone,  by  the  action  of  water  charged  with  < 
carbonic  acid  gas.  The  mold  of  a  superficial  soil  being 
acted  on  by  moisture  and  air,  evolves  carbonic 
acid  which  is  dissolved  by  rain.  The  rain  .  water 
thus  charged,  permeating  the  calcareous  strata,  has  the 
power  of  taking  up  a  portion  of  lime,  which  it  retains' in 
solution  and  carries  along  with  it,  until  evaporation  has 
discharged  the  excess  of  carbonic  acid,  when  the  lime  is 
precipitated,  and  if  in  a  cavern  many  fantastic  shapes  are 
formed;  or  if  the  stream  still  charged  reaches  the  open 
air  the  lime  will  be  deposited  along  its  bed  and  shores, 
incrusting  the  banks  and  clinging  to  the  roots  of  trees  and 
other  objects  that  afford  it  a  resting  place.  Some  of  my 
readers  will  recall  from  memory  the  existence  of  such 
streams  and  such  deposits  that  have  come  under  their  own 
observation.  Often  these  cretaceous  deposits  have  been 
formed  at  the  bottom  of  the  ocean,  in  thin  horizontal  strata, 
consisting  chiefly  of  microscopic  shells.  Such  deposits 
more  generally  resemble  chalk  than  ordinary  limestone.  Now 
if  such  a  sea  bottom  should  become  dry  land  and  then  be 
subjected  to  volcanic  action  which  would  break  it  up  and 
change  the  position  of  its  broken  parts  from  horizontal  to 
vertical,  or  to  any  angle  away  from  horizontal,  a  character 
of  formation  would  be  exhibited  exactly  like  that  now  to  be 
seen   in   the  vicinity   of   the   old   mines   two   or   three   miles 


<>2  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU  ISLAND 

below  Ashland  and  at  many  other  points  about  this  Old 
Island.  Again,  if  such  cretaceous  deposits  be  formed  in 
the  deep  depressions  of  the  sea,  they  will  have  greater  thick- 
ness and  may  reach  hundreds,  or  even  thousands  of  feet 
in  depth.  Such  deposits  may  now  be  seen  along  the  line 
of  the  Grand  canyon  of  the  Colorado  that  were  once  at  the 
bed  of  the  sea  and  have  been  elevated  and  crumpled  in  the 
course  of  the  contraction  of  the  earth;  cross  sections  are 
exhibited  where  the  stream  has  cut  through  them  making 
it  possible  to  measure  the  depth  of  the  deposits.  This 
great  natural  wonder  has  been  most  delightfully  explained 
and  described  by  Captain  C.  E.  Dutton  of  the  United  States 
Geological  department. 

Now  let  us  suppose  this  old  sea  bed  to  have  been  slowly 
uplifted  until  it  became  dry  land  and  after  many  ages  of 
exposure,  and  the  changes  consequent  upon  sunshine  and 
shadow,  rain  and  drouth,  heat  and  cold,  volcanic  action 
and  metamorphic  effect,  this  deposit  is  pierced  by  some 
subterranean  convulsion,  of  which  steam  furnishes  the 
chief  force,  and  this  followed  by  fitful  outbursts  of  water 
heated  as  only  subterranean  fires  or  nature's  chemistry  can 
do  it,  and  we  will  have  this  great  mass  of  matter  boiling 
and  bubbling,  rising  and  falling,  and  becoming  more  and 
more  mixed  with  the  wreckage  of  greater  depths,  the  whole 
seething  mass  carrying  with  it,  not  its  original  character  but 
a  new  one,  a  mush  and  mud  boiling  over  its  sides;  aqueous 
and  igneous  matter  inextricably  mixed,  porphyry,  iron,  spar, 
cinnabar;  gold,  silver  and  what-not,  ground  in  the  mills  of 
Vulcan,  mixed  and  boiled  with  the  deposits  of  the  ocean, 
a  pot  of  porridge  fit  to  feed  the  internal  forces  that  have 
shaken  the  earth  with  convulsions  since  that  poetic  morn 
when  "the  stars  sang  together." 

Such  a  mixed  mass  of  matter  may  be  seen  but  a  short 
distance  below  Ashland,  at  what  is  known  as  the  "49 
diggins."  These  old  geysers  and  mud  volcanos,  at  one 
time  held  high  carnival  at  many  places  about  this  Old 
Island  when  the  waters  of  the  Pacific  washed  the  foot  of  the 
Rocky  mountains,  and  a  roaring  surf  lashed  a  lonely  shore 
where  Ashland  now  stands,  while,  at  or  toward  the  interior 
of  the  island,  lurid  flames  belched  forth  from  lofty  mount- 
ains, marking  this  a  veritable  Terra  Del  Fuego.  Un- 
countable ages  before  Crater  lake  became  the  mightiest 
hole-in-the-ground,  before  the  Cascade  mountains  arose 
above  the  surface  of  the  waters,  when  only  a  portion  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada  mountains  had  reflected  the  rays  of  the  sun, 
while    yet    a    great    part    of    the    continent    of    Europe    was 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        63 

sleeping  beneath  the  waves  and  long  before  man  came 
to  inhabit  the  earth,  a  mighty  volcano  was  in  operation 
near  where  Ashland  creek  has  its  source,  and  there  rained 
down  on  the  spot  where  we  now  live  a  greater  storm  of 
ashes  and  stones  than  sealed  the  fate  of  Herculaneum  and 
Pompeii,  while  all  about  the  foot  of  this  great  fiery  mount- 
ain, in  clusters  and  groups,  bubbled  and  boiled  these  geysers 
and  mud  volcanos,  the  Devil's  porridge-makers,  where  men 
now  for  the  love  of  money,  are  digging  and  delving  for  gold. 
The  leviathans  of  the.  deep,  the  like  of  which  we  have  nor 
now,  either  on  land  or  in  the  sea,  but  the  bones  of  which 
we  find  preserved  in  the  sand  and  lime  of  that  ancient  day, 
then  fought  their  titanic  battles  where  are  now  villages  and 
towns,  farms  and  orchards. 

That  there  has  been  an  immense  erosion  of  this  Old 
Island  is  very  evident,  and  perhaps  a  great  part  of  the 
four  thousand  feet  of  sediment  that  makes  up  the  mass  of 
Grizzly  mountain  came  from  the  Siskiyous.  On  Wagner 
butte  at  an  altitude  of  nearly  seven  thousand  and  about 
eight  miles  southwest  of  Ashland,  is  a  considerable  frag- 
ment of  marble.  Westerly  along  the  Siskiyou  mountains 
at  various  elevations,  on  the  tops  of  high  ridges  are  exten- 
sive bodies  of  beautiful  marble.  WTe  find  it  on  the  mount- 
ains that  border  the  Applegate  and  Williams  Creek  valleys. 
On  Chaney  creek  about  twelve  miles  southwest  of  Grants 
Pass  these  marble  beds  are  of  considerable  extent.  Much 
of  it  is  of  fine  quality,  and  in  Chaney  creek  district  are 
extensive  caves  formed  in  them.  Some  of  these  beds  have 
gone  in  to  the  ownership  of  private  parties  and  are  being 
utilized  in  the  manufacture  of  lime,  in  the  character  of 
which  it  excels.  Further  on  to  the  south  and  southwest, 
in  the  southern  part  of  Josephine  county  and  reaching  to 
the  California  line  these  limestone  beds  are  found  high  up 
in  the  mountains,  usually  occupying  the  tops  of  the  ridges. 

This  display  of  limestone,  which  in  places  has  become 
marble  by  metamorphism,  tells  its  own  story.  It  too  was 
deposited  at  the  bed  of  the  ocean  and  like  the  Cascade 
mountains,  was  slowly  raised  above  the  surface,  crumpled, 
folded  and  broken,  until  now  we  find  it  a  part  of  this  great 
mountain  mass.  There  are  evidences  that  indicate  that 
the  country  to  the  north  and  east  of  the  Old  Island  was 
above  the  water  at  a  much  earlier  period  and  that  it  sub- 
sided and  at  a  later  epoch  was  elevated  above  the  water 
as  we  now  see  it.  It  is  a  query  then,  whether  that  earlier 
subsidence  occurred  at  the  time  of  the  elevation  of  the 
Siskiyous.      A    discussion    of    this    interesting   subject    how- 


04  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

ever,  we  cannot  take  up,  for  as  before  suggested  it  would 
lead  us  too  far  afield  for  our  present  purpose  There  is 
no  great  doubt  that  when  this  limestone  bed  first 
came  above  the  surface  it  extended  as  a  continuous  mass, 
an  unbroken  field  of  limestone,  hundreds,  and  probably 
thousands  of  feet  thick,  and  covered  hundreds,  if  not 
thousands  of  square  miles  of  area.  Now  only  fragments 
are  left  on  the  ridges,  and  great  gulches  and  canyons  ha  ye 
been  washed  through  it,  until  as  above  stated  we  only  find 
fragments  left  on  the  tops  of  the  high  ridges  that  separate 
profound  canyons.  Some  of  these  beds  now  cover  many 
miles  of  area  and  in  places  are  as  much  as  two  thousand 
feet  thick.  The  bedding  is  a  bluish  slate,  probably  the 
slime  of  the  ocean  floor  where  it  was  deposited.  This 
bedding  may  be  seen  where  erosion  has  laid  it  bare,  Btims- 
times  a  thousand  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  canyon.  It  is 
quite  evident  that  the  greater  part  of  this  deposit  has  been 
worn  away  and  gone  to  enrich  the  soils  of  the  valleys  tha> 
lie  at  the  feet  of  these  mountains,  or  have  been  returned 
to  the  ocean  for  further  refinement  and  distribution.  To 
stand  on  a  summit  of  any  of  the  prominent  heights  of  the 
Siskiyous  and  look  about  and  below  at  the  magnitude  and 
depth  of  these  canyons,  and  try  to  conjure  the  length  of 
time  required  to  remove  the  incalculable  quantity  of  mater- 
ial necessary  is  confusing.  As  said  before  the  gr<  R1  mass 
of  these  mountains  seems  to  be  granite,  which  is  classed  as 
an  intrusive,  igneous  rock,  that  doubtless  forced  its  way 
to  the  surface  through  great  depths  of  sediment  which, 
since  that  time  has  almost  wholly  disappeared.  Everywhere 
these  mountains  are  seamed  and  scarred  with  ledges  and 
dykes — quartz  ledges  that  in  many  places  are  rich  in 
gold,  copper  and  other  minerals.  These  ledges  during 
the  unnumbered  ages  since  they  were  filled,  have  •  .iff e red 
erosion  and  been  broken  and  scattered,  spreading  their 
fragments  as  gold  mixed  gravels  around  the  old  shore-line. 
Some  of  these  are  known  as  "pocket  ledges,"  for  the  lea- 
son  that  the  gold  is  found  in  them  in  spots  and  bunches. 
while  between  the  bunches,  or  pockets,  the  ledges  are 
barren.  Pocket  ledges  are  sometimes  very  rich,  the  bunches 
being  large  and  with  little  rock,  or  other  foreign  matter 
being  mixed  with  the  gold.  The  breaking  up  of  such 
ledges  assure  rich  placers  of  coarse  gold.  The  "nuggets" 
come  from  these  "pocket  ledges."  There  are  but  a  few  of 
the  hundreds  of  streams  of  the  Siskiyous  that  have  not  fur- 
nished placer  mines  of  varying  richness.  Thirty  miles 
south    of    Jacksonville,    almost   on    the    summit    of    the    oil 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        65 

island,  operations  are  now  being  pushed  in  the  development 
of  extensive  copper  deposits.  Good  roads  have  been  built 
at  heavy  expense  and  much  enthusiasm  is  being  evinced 
at  the  prospect  of  the  opening  of  these  mines.  Further 
west  high  up  in  the  mountains,  other  copper  properties  are 
being  operated  or  opened.  In  the  extreme  southern  part  of 
Josephine  county  a  smelter  has  been  in  operation  for  the 
past  three  years  and  the  developmnt  of  many  locations  is 
being  pushed  forward  as  rapidly  as  men  and  money  can  ac- 
complish the  work.  The  development  of  gold  quartz 
mining  is  a  great  and  growing  industry,  and  the  use  of 
electricity  for  power  has  added  an  impetus  to  the  exploita- 
tion of  the  mineral  resources  of  the  Old  Island.  Further 
to  the  west  nearer  to  the  coast,  chrome,  carrying  a  consid- 
erable percentage  of  silver,  is  plentiful  and  with  facilities 
for  shipment  will  become  a  great  industry. 

The  coal  mines  of  Coos  are  within  the  Old  Island  and 
have  been  extensively  operated  for  fifty  years.  Situated 
on  Coos  bay,  one  of  the  best  harbors  on  the  coast,  they  need 
no  better  facilities  for  shipping  their  product  and  great 
markets  are  open  to  them.  Asbestos,  graphite,  kaolin 
and  fire  clay  are  found  in  many  places  and  cinnabar  prom- 
ises an  important  source  of  revenue.  Few  countries 
furnish  finer  building  stone  than  the  granite,  sandstone, 
marble  and  coarser  limestone  found  in  abundance  about  the 
Siskiyous.  In  addition  to  all  this  mineral  wealth,  these 
prehistoric  time-scarred  veterans,  are  clothed  in  world 
renowned  forests  of  pine,  fir,  cedar,  spruce,  laurel,  maple, 
myrtle,  ash  and  many  other  varieties  of  the  finest  timber, 
and  the  government  is  wisely  guarding  them  from  vandal- 
ism and  waste.  The  Port  Orford  cedar  is,  perhaps  the 
finest  of  its  kind  in  the  world.  I  have  no  information 
that  it  is  found  anywhere  outside  of  Coos,  Curry,  Josephino 
and  Douglas  counties  and  it  brings  fancy  prices  in  all  mar- 
kets. It  is  gigantic  in  size,  sometimes  reaching  a  diameter 
of  sixteen  feet  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  without  a 
knot  or  a  limb.  If  this  royal  wood  existed  elsewhere  it  is 
almost  extinct.  The  sugar  pine  and  red  and  yellow  fir 
also  excel  of  their  kind.  The  Forestry  Exhibit  at  the  Lewis 
and  Clark  exposition,  coming  from  Coos  county  could  not 
have  been  excelled.  Some  of  that  exhibit  may  still  be 
seen  at  the  Forestry  building  at  Portland,  which  has  been 
preserved.  There  are  great  quantities  of  lesser  growth, 
all  of  which  differ  in  some  respects  from  that  of  similar 
species  elsewhere,  and  of  smaller  growths  that  are  not 
found  anywhere  else.        Were  I  a  botanist  I  am  sure  that 


m  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

I  would  revel  in  the  study  of  the  flora  of  this  region.  The 
variety  of  flowers  and  flowering  shrubs  to  be  found  is  in- 
teresting almost  to  confusion.  The  bright  colored  manzanita 
is  everywhere  and  in  size  and  beauty  it  excels.  The  flowers 
of  this  bush  are  of  various  tints  of  pink  and  red,  and  very 
fragrant  and  good  bee  food.  To  the  honey  manufactured 
from  the  manzanita  there  is  a  fragrance  and  flavor  that  is 
unique  and  that  adds  to  its  quality.  Every  canyon  has  its 
dog-wood  with  great  white  blossoms,  its  yew  with  dense, 
fragrant  foliage,  madrone  with  its  bright,  smooth  shiny 
bark  and  great  broad  leaves  that  look*  like  they  were 
heavily  varnished,  and  in  season,  beautiful  red  berries. 
The  Oregon  grape  that  has  been  adopted  as  the  state  shrub, 
reaches  ^perfection  in  the  Siskiyou  mountains.  Its  leaves 
are  holly-shaped,  bordered  with  sharp  spines,  thick,  glossy 
and  highly  polished  on  the  upper  side.  The  stem  of  this 
shrub  grows  some  times  six  or  eight  feet  high  and  is  not  a 
vine  as  its  name  might  imply  to  the  uninitiated.  It  has 
flowers  that  grow  in  long  clusters  and  are  a  brilliant  orange 
color.  Few  plants  are  more  highly  decorative  than  the 
Oregon  grape.  Its  berries  when  ripe  are  in  clusters  cor- 
responding with  the  bloom,  are  a  beautiful  purple,  about 
the  size  of  a  buckshot  and  very  firm  and  sour.  Mountain 
lilies  grow .  to  perfection  and  when  in  bloom  shed  their 
fragrance  with  great  power.  They  grow  on  stalks  some- 
times seven  to  eight  feet  high  and  will  bear  from  half  a 
dozen  to  fifty  blooms  on  a  single  stalk.  Sometimes  acres 
of  the  mountains  will  have  hundreds  of  these  stalks  to  the 
acre,  adding  an  indescribable  charm  to  the  landscape,  the 
great  white  blooms  throwing  off  fragrance  that  can  be 
detected  for  half  a  mile  when  they  grow  in  abundance  and 
the  wind  is  fair.  Everywhere  that  there  is  soil  there  are 
flowers  of  some  kind,  sometimes  so  small  that  they  will  be 
overlooked  unless  under  the  closest  inspection.  On  the 
highest  points,  and  almost  against  the  snow  banks,  these 
beautiful  little  reflecters  of  sunshine  decorate  the  ground 
As  you  go  higher,  the  form  and  character  of  the  shrubs  and 
flowers  change  and  that  to  be  found  at  six  to  eight  thousand 
feet,  while  sometimes  resembling  those  lower  down,  in  some 
respects  will  be  found  entirely  different.  Tiger  lilies  are 
frequent  in  the  canyons.  Maple,  alder  and  ash,  form  the 
most  inviting  shade  in  little  nooks  by  the  roystering 
stream,  hidden  away  in  the  deepest  canyons. 

The  mountain  sides  sloping  to  the  north  are  clad  in 
the  everpresent  pine,  fir,  spruce  and  hemlock.  The  sugar 
pine  with  its  short  needles,  long  cones  and  stubby  branches, 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OP  OREGON.       W 

can  be  identified  miles  away.  Some  of  these  trees  will 
measure  eight  feet  in  diameter  and  be  a  hundred  feet  with- 
out a  limb.  The  yellow  pine  is  not  less  Characteristic;  its 
needles  are  longer,  its  cones  shorter,  its  branches  more 
symmetrical  and  the  bright  yellow  of  its  bark  distinguishes 
it  at  a  glance.  It  too  grows  to  great  size  with  clean,  beau- 
tiful trunk.  The  red  or  Douglas  fir  seems  to  be  especially 
adapted  to  these  mountains,  massive,  firm  and  beautiful* 
reaching  a  heigh  often  of  two  hundred  feet  and  a  girth  of 
twenty  or  more.  The  Douglas  fir  is  one  of  the  most  valu- 
able of  our  forest  products;  it  has  great  strength  and  is  a 
very  firm  and  lasting  timber.  The  white  fir  is  a  beautiful 
tree,  tall  straight  and  symmetrical,  but  not  long  lived,  as 
a  rule,  though  specimens  of  great  size  and  age  are  met 
with.  Its  foliage  is  very  beautiful  and  glossy  and  the  bark 
white,  and  in  the  young  trees  smooth.  This  timber  when 
young  is  sometimes  called  "balsam,"  because  of  the  quan- 
tity of  fir  balsam  that  exudes  from  it.  As  a  commercial 
timber  it  is  less  valuable  than  the  others.  It  is  very  heavy 
when  green  and  light  when  thoroughly  seasoned.  It  is 
not  a  lasting  timber  and  has  a  tendency,  like  Cottonwood, 
to  warp  and  twist  if  left  to  the  weather.  It  is  valuable 
for  boxes  and  for  some  kind  of  inside  finishing  and  in  the 
manufacture  of  paper.  Iir  some  localities  there  is  a  good 
quality  of  red  cedar,  but  as  a  rule  this  class  of  cedar  is 
subject  to  a  kind  of  dry  rot.  The  myrtle,  maple  and  white 
cedar  burl  (found  chiefly  in  Coos  and  Curry  counties),  are 
very  valuable  for  furniture  and  is  fine  finishing  lumber. 
Nothing  is  more  beautiful  than  the  variegated  myrtle,  the 
birdseye  maple  and  the  cedar  burl,  all  of  which  take  a 
splendid  polish  and  are  extensively  used  for  veneers.  The 
myrtle,  however,  only  grows  to  perfection  on  the  streams 
along  the  slopes  facing  the  ocean.  They  grow  on  rich 
bottom  lands  of  great  agricultural  value  that  are  being 
cleared  up  and  the  myrtle  is  being  destroyed  as  was  done 
with  the  walnut  of  the  Mississippi  valley  in  the  early  days 
there.  The  future  will  suffer  great  loss  when  this  splendid 
timber  shall  have  been  wasted  as  is  being  done.  Along  the 
coast  spruce  abounds  and  is  extensively  used  in  the  manu- 
facture of  tubs,  buckets,  crates  and  firkins;  it  is  also  valu- 
able for  paper  pulp.  Alder,  cottonwood,  quaking  asp  and 
hazel  are  also  plentiful  along  the  streams.  The  hazel 
grows  to  mammoth  proportions,  often  thirty  feet  high  and 
two  to  six  inches  in  diameter.  I  have  seen  elder  growing 
to  be  twelve  and  fifteen  inches  in  diameter.  (The  reader 
must  not  confuse  'elder'  with  'alder.' 


68  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  when  all  nature  is  preparing 
for  the  winter,  a  trip  through  these  mountains  furnishes 
a  greater  variety  of  startling  and  wholesome  delights  than 
anything    else. 

"Autumn   laying   here   and   there 
Its  fiery  finger  on  the  leaves," 

touches  off  the  scene  with  a  warmth  and  glow  of  coloring, 
unequalled  in  the  whole  catalogue  of  artificial  delights  pre- 
pared for  occasions.  I  will  devote  a  chapter  to  the 
subtler  influences  to  be  found  in  these  mountains,  where, 
if  there  is  any  poetry  in  the  adventurer's  soul,  he  can  find 
enchantment.  In  the  following  chapter  we  will  climb  the 
heights  and  enjoy  the  panorama. 


Chapter  IX. 

A  RAMBLE  THROUGH  AND  OVER  THE  SISKIYOUS. 

"What  if  earth 
Be  but  the  shadow  of  Heaven,  and  things  therein 
Each  to  the  other  like  more  than  on  the  earth  is  thought" 

Having  selected  Ashland  as  the  place  from  which  our 
explorations  of  the  Old  Island  may  be  best  prosecuted  we 
will  again  make  it  our  starting  point;  this  time  for  a  ramble 
over  the  Siskiyous. 

We  will  assume  it  to  be  the  month  of  July  and  Chau- 
tauqua season.  In  this  little  city,  christened  by  admiring 
strangers,  "Ashland  the  beautiful,"  a  thousand  strangers 
are  gathered  for  recreation  and  pleasure,  and  the  enjoyment 
of  a  "feast  of  reason  and  a  flow  of  soul"  that  characterizes 
this  annual  assemblage  of  Chautauquans. 

In  the  Chautauqua  park  are  gathered  both  old  and 
young — some  chatting,  some  reading  and  some  sleeping 
away  a  half-holiday,  but  all  free  from  care  the  while. 
Through  this  beautiful  park  runs  Ashland  creek,  which  has 
its  birth  in  the  snow  banks  of  Ashland  butte,  ten  miles 
away.  Looking  up  stream  we  catch  glimpses  of  the  dis- 
tant snow  banks  and  are  impelled  toward  them.  Every- 
where we  see  the  stream  thro'  dense  foliage,  laughing,  leap- 
ing and  singing,  or  resting  in  a  pellucid  pool,  joyous  in  re- 
flecting in  detail  the  decorative  borders  that  surround  it, 
then  rushing  away  again  for  a  moment's  flash  and  sparkle 
in  the  sunlight. 

After  half  a  mile  has  been  traversed  the  valley  be- 
comes a  canyon;  the  mountains  come  closer  in,  as  though 
to  hear  more  distinctly  the  musical  message  that  the  rush- 
ing stream  is  bringing  from  the  snow  bank.  Our  road 
following  the  sinuosities  of  the  stream  makes  a  turn  about 
a  jutting  point  and  we  find  ourselves  under  "Hanging 
Rock,"  a  great  granite  boulder  perched  above  the  roadway. 
Turning  to  the  right  we  enter  a  dense  shade  of  maple,  alder 
and  yew.  Just  below,  a  couple  of  barefoot  boys  are  ang- 
ling for  trout  and  catching  them,  as  the  speckled  beauties 
in  their  basket  prove.  A  little  further  on  we  pass  "Echo 
Rock,"  which  at  first  startles  the  stranger  with  the  thought 
that  behind  this  granite  palisade  is  another  torrent.  We 
discover    our    mistake    and    good    humoredly    submit    to    be 


70  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

laughed  at  by  the  merrymaking  messenger,  that  has  only 
played  us  a  little  joke.  *  We  climb  a  rugged  point  while 
our  stream  sings  merrily  on  below  us.  Every  few  rods 
are  inviting  and  romantic  nooks  where  the  sunshine  is  filt- 
ered througn  a  dense  and  variegated  foliage,  casting  a  sheen 
as  from  a  gorgeous  cathedral  window.  Here  the  maple, 
alder,  yew,  madrone,  cedar  and  many  other  species  of 
growths  cover  mossy  mats  on  sloping  banks,  inviting  to  re- 
pose. A  water  ousel  dips  into  the  spray  for  a  moment, 
then  perches  on  a  rock  in  mid-stream  and  nods  and  jerks 
his  little  body  as  though  making  obeisance  to  his  holiday 
visitors.  «A  Douglas  squirrel  springs  up,  like  a  little 
bundle  of  sunshine  and  muscle,  and  flashing  his  saucy  tail 
in  defiance  scampers  up  a  fir  tree  and  chatters  and  scolds 
at  us  from  its  branches.  A  covey  of  mountain  quail  in  top- 
knot and  gay  garb,  flutter  and  are  gone  among  the  grasses. 
A  mountain  lily,  the  queen  of  mountain  flora,  nods  above 
us  and  scatters  here  fragrance  in  reckless  extravagance. 

A  little  further  on  we  reach  the  "Shut  In,"  the  site.of 
the  head-works  of  Ashland's  splendid  water  system  and 
municipal  lighting  plant.  Here  massive  walls  of  granite 
tower  above  us  leaving  "only  room  for  the  road  bed  and  the 
stream  which  plunges  down  a  rocky  defile  with  a  rush  and 
a  roar,  raising  a  spray  that  feeds  the  beautiful  maiden-hair 
ferns  and  other  clinging  growths  that  find  precarious  foot- 
ing on  these  rugged  granite  walls.  We  notice  how  different 
the  formation  is  from  that  of  Grizzly  and  the  Cascades. 
There  it  was  shale,  gravel,  sandstone  and  boulder  cliffs  with 
the  inevitable  capping  of  basaltic  lava.  Here  it  is  granite, 
granite  everywhere.  Granite  boulders  in  the  stream,  gran- 
ite cliffs  towering  high  above  us,  and  erosion  bringing 
granite  sand  and  soil  into  the  canyon  and  filling  the  cre- 
vices and  fissures  among  the  rocks. 

We  follow  the  sinuosities  of  the  stream  for  a  mile 
further  and  come  to  "the  Falls,"  and  are  now  in  "Ashland 
Park",  a  water  and  timber  preserve  of  many  thousand  acres^ 
in  the  heart  of  the  Siskiyou  mountains.  This  park  has 
been  set  aside  by  the  Government — an  act  of  paternal 
thoughtfulness  that  gives  assurance  that  we  are  progress- 
ing in  a  very  important  matter. 

We  are  now  well  into  the  mountains  and  four  miles 
from  town.  Here  the  stream  forks,  one  branch  coming 
from  Ashland  butte,  the  other  from  Wagner  butte.  The 
beautiful  falls  of  the  one  and  the  no  less  delightful  cas- 
cades of  the  other,  a  few  rods  above  the  junction;  the  dense 
shade,  the   pools  of   crystal,   ice-cold   water,   the   variety   of 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        71 

foliage,  the  chattering  of  chipmunks  and  scolding  of  squir- 
rels, the  confused  mingling  of  fragrance  from  the  dense  and 
varied  foliage,  make  this  an  ideal,  spot  for  a  summer's  day 
picnic. 

•  From  this  point  our  road  bears  up  the  Wagner  creek 
branch  of  the  stream  for  two  and  a  half  miles  further  and 
there  comes  to  an  end.  From  this  on  to  the  summit  is  a 
reasonably  good  trail  recently  greatly  improved  <by  the 
forestry  service,  which  has  also  established  a  telephone  line 
from  Ashland  to  the  summit  of  the  mountain.  Everywhere 
along  the  stream  the  characteristics  before  described  are 
repeated  and  multiplied.  The  mountains  grow  higher 
and  steeper,  the  canyon  more  rugged  and  deeper  and  the 
stream  more  rapid  and  turbulent.  Six  miles  from  Ashland 
we  reach  the  end  of  the  wagon  road  which  however,  the 
forestry  service  has  undertaken  to  extend,  perhaps  to  the 
summit  near  the  top  of  Ashland  butte.  We  now  begin 
a  steeper  climb  over  the  winding  and  zig  zag  trail  six  miles 
further  ere  we  reach  our  goal.  Many  splendid  views  are 
obtained  as  we  wind  our  sinuous  course  around  the  side 
of  the  mountain  climbing  higher  and  higher  above  the 
bed  of  the  canyon.  Wagner  butte  rises  to  a  height  of  over 
seven  thousand  feet  and  is  just  to  the  right  and  only  five 
miles  to  the  top.  Winding  along  sometimes  in  the  timber 
and  anon  along  the  brushy  hill  side  until  we  reach  the  top 
of  a  long  ridge  that  comes  directly  down  from  Ashland 
butte  which  looms  up  grandly  and  near  by  and  are  on  the 
summit  of  the  Siskiyous.  For  the  last  two  or  three  mjles 
we  have  followed  the, axis  of  a  long  ridge  from  which  we 
looked  down  into  a  deep  canyon  to  the  east  and  west.  We 
heard  the  plunging  cataracts  below  us  but  could  not  see 
them.  We  observed  the  timber  of  splendid  growth  and  of 
the  varieties  heretofore  described.  Our  way  along  this 
ridge  has  been  gently  upward  through  inspiring  forests 
and  grassy  glades.  The  grass  is  very  luxuriant  and  being 
in  a  government  water  preserve  is  protected  from  pastur- 
age. 

We  have  reached  a  region  of  rarified  air  and  find  the 
shade  and  grassy  mats  most  delightful  places  of  repose. 
One  cannot  travel  fast  nor  far  in  these  altitudes  without 
stopping  for  breath,  but  a  more  delightful  place  for  leisurely 
sauntering  on  a  bright  summer's  day  could  not  well  be 
found.  Here  imagination  will  run  riot  if  one  has  any. 
If  one  has  poetry  in  his  soul  it  will  come  to  the  top,  and  for 
psychological  reverie  and  daydreaming  here  are  many  ideal 
spots.        The   poetry  and   dream-inducing  effect  however,   I 


72  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

will  try  to  give  in  a  subsequent  chapter.  In  this  little 
volume  it  is  my  desire  to  give  some  portion  of  the  esthetic 
as  well  as  the  utilitarian.  The  poetry  of  the  situation  is 
no  less  sought  for  by  the  investigator  and  constitutes  one 
of  the  greatest  charms  and  attractions  of  this  Old  Island. 
They  come  in  as  decorations  and  embellishments  to  a  region 
which  is  greatly  varied  in  its  material  resources  and  the 
advantages  offered  to  the  miner,  farmer,  horticulturist, 
stock-raiser  and  lumberman,  all  of  whom  find  here  spots 
for  their  vocation  rarely  equalled,  and  as  a  side  study  man's 
relation   to   material   things. 

Having  reached  the  top  we  gaze  about  in  delight.  Just 
to  the  east  of  us  only  a  half  mile  away  and  a  thousand 
feet  above,  is  the  summit  of  Ashland  butte,  one  of  the  high- 
est points  of  the  Old  Island.  We  will  reserve  for  a  subse- 
quent chapter  a  climb  to  the  top  of  it  and  will  take  our 
course  toward  the  west  along  the  main  summit  of  the 
range.  There  is  a  wonderful  expanse  of  mountain  billows 
and  valleys  in  view,  but  we  will  first  deal  with  other  fea- 
tures. Starting  at  our  feet  and  flowing  away  southerly 
is  a  rivulet  which  a  few  miles  down  the  mountain  becomes 
a  roaring  torrent  where  very  extensive  mining  was  carried 
on  in  the  early  days  and  is  still  pursued  to  a  considerable 
extent.  It  is  known  as  the  Grouse  creek,  Beaver  creek 
and  Hungry  creek  mining  region  and  begins  down  the  slope 
from  us  five  or  six  miles  away  and  is  chiefly  just  across 
the  line  in  California.  The  slope  is  steep  and  cut  up  with 
canyons  and  gulches.  Where  we  are  there  is  an  occasional 
weather-beaten  tree,  gnarly,  warped,  scraggy  and  stunted, 
for  the  winter  storms  are  very  severe  here  and  are  liable 
to  come  any  month  in  the  year.  Snow  banks  near  by  show 
its  lingering  hold  into  mid  summer  and  in  places  throughout 
the  year.  Large  areas  of  the  southerly  slope  are  barren 
of  timber,  or  possess  it  only  in  patches  and  grooves,  but 
everywhere  grass  is  luxuriant,  even  to  the  very  edge  of  the 
snow  banks,  giving  a  beautiful  park-like  appearance.  Fur- 
ther down  the  timber  begins  in  broad  forests  of  pine,  fir 
and  cedar  and  along  the  streams  are  the  growths  elsewhere 
described.  All  of  this  we  can  see  with  distinctness,  and  so 
thick  and  dense  are  the  trees  that  they  seem  to  be  piled 
one  upon  the  other.  At  the  foot  of  the  slope  and  twelve  or 
fifteen  miles  away,  with  the  use  of  a  glass  we  can  see 
patches  of  the  silvery  surface  of  the  Klamath  river  into 
which  all  of  these  streams  flow. 

I  have  already  spoken  of  the  importance  of  this  river 
in  the  mining  business  of  California.      The  stream  is  mined 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OP  OREGON.       7?, 

by  means  of  wing-dams  thrown  out  from  one  bank  or  the 
other,  sometimes  to  near  the  channel,  which  turns  the 
water  toward  the  opposite  bank,  then  pumps  are  placed 
into  the  parts  enclosed,  a  large  wheel  is  rigged  just  outside 
of  the  dam  where  the  current  is  strongest  and  so  placed 
that  the  stream,  striking  the  buckets  at  the  bottom  of  the 
wheel  turns  it  and  develops  large  power,  sufficient  to  oper- 
ate pumps  derricks,  etc.  The  water  must  not  only  be 
pumped  out  of  the  space  enclosed  in  the  dam,  but  water 
must  also  be  raised  to  the  sluices,  which  are  placed  above 
the  ground  being  mined,  and  the  gravel  and  dirt  elevated 
and  dumped  into  them.  Many  of  the  boulders  are  very 
large,  requiring  strong  derricks  to  move  them  and  even 
then  sometimes  they  have  to  be  reduced  by  blasting  before 
they  can  be  handled.  Often  several  wheels  are  required 
to  generate  the  necessary  power  for  operation  of  these 
channel  claims.  In  many  places  they  have  to  remove  as 
much  as  sixty  feet  of  boulders,  gravel  and  sand  before  the 
bed-rock  is  reached  where  the  chief  pay  is  found.  These 
claims  can  only  be  operated  in  the  summer  months  when 
the  water  is  at  its  lowest;  from  all  of  which  it  will  be  read- 
ily seen  that  mining  in  the  Klamath  river  is  no  small  under- 
taking. It  requires  many  thousand  dollars  to  "rig  up" 
such  a  mine  and  many  men,  working  by  shifts  day  and  night 
as  long  as  the  season  lasts.  Sometimes  immense  sums  are 
taken  out  of  these  river  claims  in  a  season  and  again  money 
is  lost  on  the  venture.  Almost  every  bar  on  the  Klamath 
river  from  the  time  that  stream  has  entered  the  Old  Island 
to  the  ocean  has  been  worked  over,  in  some  instances  more 
than  once.  Many  of  the  best  bars  lay  outside  of  the  chan- 
nel, and  were  per  consequence  more  easily  and  cheaply 
worked.  Since  the  early  mining  days  there  have  been 
many  millions  taken  from  the  Klamath  river  bars,  and  still 
they   are    being   operated    every   year.  Streams   enter    it 

from  both  the  north  and  south,  practically  all  of  which  have 
been  mined  from  their  sources  to  where  the  river  receives 
them.  Until  a  few  years  ago  the  mining  of  all  this  region 
was  placer  work,  performed  by  the  various  methods  then 
in  vogue,  but  in  recent  years  quartz  mining  is  being  rapidly 
developed.  This  old  mountain  has  been  seamed  and  scar- 
red most  unmercifully  in  every  direction  by  intrusive  dykes 
and  ledges  of  quartz  and  porphyry,  all  of  which  contain 
more  or  less  gold  and  some  of  them  are  very  rich.  The 
erosion  of  this  old  mountain  which  I  have  already  described 
has  torn  off  the  tops  of  these  ledges  and  dykes  and  washed 
the  contents  into  the  streams  and  rivers  carrying  the  gold, 


74  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

which  being  heavier  than  the  other  sediments  sinks  to  the 
bottom  where,  in  streams  it  is  found  on  the  bed-rock. 
This  is  also  true  of  many  glades  and  lines  of  old  water 
courses  from  which  the  water  has  been  diverted  by  changes 
in  the  slopes.  In  such  places,  often  near  the  tops  of  high 
ridges  may  be  found  heavy  deposits  of  old  sediments  with 
great  depths  of  rich  gravel.  Sometimes  this  deposit  will 
pay  from  the  surface  down,  but  as  a  rule  the  best  pay  is  on 
the  bed-rock.  Sometimes  these  gravels  are  as  much  as 
fifty  feet  or  more  in  depth  and  if  water  is  available  are 
worked  by  hydraulic. 

Standing  on  the  summit  of  this  mountain  as  we  are 
supposed  to  be,  we  are  looking  over  many  hundreds  of  miles 
of  the  finest  forests  and  mining  territory  on  the  continent, 
whether  looking  southerly  into  California  or  northerly  into 
Oregon.  The  line  dividing  the  two  states  is  only  about 
four  miles  south  of  our  look-out  at  this  summit.  What  I 
have  said  about  the  mines  along  the  Klamath  river  will 
also  apply  to  the  mining  along  the  Applegate  and  Rogue 
rivers  on  the  northern  slope,  except  that  there  has  not  been 
as  much  wing-damming  used  in  the  last  mentioned  streams. 
AH  of  these  streams  get  their  wealth  from  this  old  moun- 
tain. 

Pursuing  our  course  now  to  the  west  along  the  main 
divide  we  will  find  a  reasonably  good  trail  following  the 
ridge.  The  way  is  open  and  grass  covered,  with  occasional 
scraggy  timber.  The  slopes  break  down  at  a  sharp  angle 
on  either  hand,  the  streams  flowing  northerly  to  Rogue 
river  and  southerly  to  the  Klamath.  The  going  is  fine 
and  the  view  grand  from  almost  every  part  of  the  way. 
The  dense  forest  covers  all  of  the  northern  slope  and  large 
areas  of  the  southern.  To  one  familiar  with  the  country 
a  descent  of  a  few  miles  to  right  or  left  would  bring  such 
trout  fishing  as  would  make  any  angler  shout  with  delight. 
Occasionally  we  come  into  a  glade  and  surprise  deer  quietly 
feeding,  for  they  frequent  the  higher  ridges  during  the 
summer.  If  it  be  in  the  middle  of  the  day  we  will  occa- 
sionally hear  them  scampering  off  as  we  enter  a  clump  of 
trees,  and  find  where  they  have  been  enjoying  their  mid- 
day siesta  under  the  shade  of  the  heavy  branched  larch 
that  grows  in  rank  and  dense  clusters  near  the  higher 
summits.  There  are  few  places  to  be  found  where  the 
shade  is  so  inviting,  the  ground  so  luxuriously  carpeted 
with  cast  off  foliage  and  the  breezes  so  laden  with  the  odor 
of  balsams  and  fragrant  vegetation,  as* in  these  beautiful 
bowers.        There   is   a   freshness   and   a   quality   to   the   at- 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        75 

"mosphere  that  is  most  enjoyable  and  is  entirely  wanting  in 
the  valleys  below.  Pursuing  our  course  still  to  the  west 
for  about  six  miles  we  come  to  the  "Big  Red  mountain,"  so 
called  from  the  distinctly  reddish  cast  of  its  formation.  It 
is  perhaps  seven  thousand  feet  high)  with  rugged  peaks, 
pinnacles  and  high  cliffs  where  one  may  sit  and  look  into 
dizzy  depths  almost  directly  below  him.  This  eminence  is 
three  or  four  miles  long  and  seems  entirely  distinct  in  its 
character  from  the  main  granite  mass  of  the  Siskiyous  of 
which  it  is  a  part.  It  is  largely  of  serpentine  and  about  it 
are  found  fine  prospects  of  cinnabar,  where  a  number  of 
claims  have  been  taken  and  considerable  development  work 
has  been  done.  This  old  mountain  breaks  abruptly  down 
to  Beaver  creek  at  the  south  and  is  a  delightfully  grassy 
slope  almost  to  the  stream  a  mile  away.  If  one  were  out 
for  pastime  and  a  summer  outing  a  finer  place  for  a  week's 
indulgence  in  hunting  and  fishing  could  not  be  found  than 
on  the  banks  of  Beaver  a  couple  of  miles  below  the  summit 
of  Red  mountain,  No  better  place  could  be  wished  for 
and  the  stream  for  all  that  goes  to  make  up  a  romantic 
seclusion  cannot  be  excelled.  There  in  the  depth  of  one 
of  the  grandest  canyons- — not  a  rough  rocky  gorge,  but  a 
canyon  with  long  steeply  sloping  sides,  smooth  and  densely 
timbered — is  a  clear,  leaping,  plunging  stream  of  ice-cold 
water,  with  myriads  of  trout  reaching  fifteen  inches  in 
length,  banks  shaded  with  maple,  alder,  ash,  yew  and  wil- 
low, and  here  and  there  deep,  broad  pools  to  which  you 
work  your  way  and  into  which  you  cast  your  hook  with 
assurance  of  fish.  There  are  no  roads  within  ten  miles 
of  this  place  and  the  ordinary  fisherman  never  finds  it, 
hence  it  has  not  been  fished  out  nor  its  wildness  impaired 
by  the  vandal.  I  recall  two  weeks  that  with  one  compan- 
ion I  camped  there  and  fished,  and  prospected  and  waxed 
fat.  What  a  glory  and  joy  of  life  in  such  a  place,  away 
from  care  and  turmoil,  living  under  the  trees,  fishing  when 
one  feels  like  it,  eating  when  one  feels  like  it,  sleeping 
when  he  feels  like  it  and  doing  whatever  he  wishes  when 
he  feels  like  it.  How  I  enjoyed  lying  under  the  trees  listen- 
ing to  the  stream  murmur  and  the  squirrels  scold  and  spe- 
culating upon  that  time  in  the  past  when  this  was  an  is- 
land with  no  land  in  sight  from  its  highest  point  off  to  sea. 
Further  down  the  stream  a  few  miles  are  the  deserted  mines 
where  men  swarmed  and  sweated  and  swore  in  the  early 
mining  days,  mines  now  all  but  obliterated.  An  occasional 
prospect  hole  or  foundation  where  a  miner's  cabin  stood, 
or  the  line  of  an  old  mining  ditch  almost  lost  in  the  jungle 


76  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

is  all  that  is  left  to  tell  of  the  toil  and  sweat  for  gold  back 
in  the  "fifties."  Occasionally  you  will  still  find  a  miner 
who  tells  you  with  the  utmost  assurance,  born  of  much 
dreaming,  that  he  has  found  "the  old  channel"  again,  where 
Dutch  Flat  Joe,  or  Kanaka  Sam  struck  it  rich  in  '62  just 
before  the  Salmon  river  excitement  that  caused  the  stam- 
pede from  Beaver. 

In  this  section  of  the  country  there  are  old  channels 
of  rich  gravel  now  covered  by  the  mountains  to  great 
depths.  Where  the  canyons  have  been  cut  deeply  through 
the  mountain  they  have  in  places  laid  the  old  channels  bare 
where  they  cross  them.  This  tells  of  other  extensive  earth 
movements  of  great  age.  Sometimes  one  will  come  across 
an  old  miner  who  is  rapidly  wearing  himself  out  at  his 
work,  barely  eking  out  an  existence,  but  who  is  sure  he 
has  found  "the  old  channel"  and  will  tell  you  how  rich  it 
will  be.  He  will  regale  you  for  hours,  if  you  seem  inter^ 
ested,  in  giving  the  history  of  the  camp  when  "these  hills 
were  full  of  prospectors  and  miners."  It  is  very  interesting 
sometimes.  Again  you  will  find  one  grown  gray,  wrinkled 
and  bent  with  old  age  and  hard  usage,  who  has  not  always 
been  poor,  one  who  has  seen  better  days,  educated,  a  great 
reader  who  always  has  good  books  to  beguile  away  the  long 
winter  days,  when  here  miles  from  other  human  habitation 
and  snowed  in  he  passes  his  lonely  time  with  no  companion 
but  his  cat  and  dog.  To  see  these  old  men  here  in  such 
environment  and  listen  to  the  story  which  they  think  about 
and  review  too  often,  one  feels  that  a  tragedy  is  being  en- 
acted. Yet  such  men  have  grown  to  love  the  solitude 
and  the  mountains  until  their  features  seem  to  have  taken 
on  a  likeness  of  their  rugged  surroundings. 

We  must,  however,  recall  ourselves  to  the  summit  of 
Red  mountain  from  which  we  have  made  this  long  degres- 
sion. Looking  now  down  the  long  slope  we  trace  the  rapid 
decline  to  the  bottom  of  the  canyon  on  the  north  side 
through  which  the  "Little  Applegate"'  runs,  another  stream 
which  has  been  mined  from  the  early  days  and  has  been 
very  rich.  There  are  some  of  the  richest  placer  mines  here 
that  are  now  being  operated  in  Oregon.  All  that  has  been 
said  about  the  delights  of  an  outing  on  the  banks  of  the 
Beaver  will  apply  with  equal  force  to  the  Applegate.  From 
our  lookout  we  can  see  Rogue  River  valley  and  far  over 
the  mountains  beyond  it.  Looking  again  to  the  south 
across  Beaver  canyon,  we  mark  a  high  mountain  about 
three  miles  away  that  extends  as  a  spur  southerly  toward  the 
Klamath.        This   is    Stirling   mountain    and    contains   some 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        77 

very  rich  quartz  mines.  The  ledges  are  pockety  and  con- 
sequently the  gold  is  found  in  bunches,  but  some  very  rich 
pockets  have  been  found.  This  mountain  seems  to  have 
been  largely  the  feeder  of  the  placers  of  upper  Beaver, 
Deer  creek  and  Bear  gulch.  Placers  have  been  worked  on 
Stirling  mountain  within  two  hundred  feet  of  the  top,  water 
being  caught  from  the  melting  snows  and  confined  in  small 
reservoirs.  Of  course,  the  season  for  such  mining  is  very 
short,  but  the  ground  has  been  rich  enough  to  justify  it 
and  the  exepense  is  light  for  the  sediment  in  which  the 
gold  is  found  is  very  thin.  *  The  gold  thus  obtained  is  but 
little  eroded  and  is  often  found  with  angular  bits  of  quartz 
clinging  to  it,  not  having  traveled  far  enough  to  free  itself 
from  the  rock.  There  are  many  such  places  but  they  are 
generally  high  up  in  the  mountains  where  it  is  difficult  or 
impossible  to  get  water  to  work  them.  Red  mountain  is 
cut  in  all  directions  with  quartz  ledges  but  no  mines  of 
consequence  have  been  developed  in  it.  Yet  I  believe  it 
to  be  a  promising  place  for  future  quartz  mining,  and  that 
sometime  good  mines  will  be  developed  there. 

Leaving  Red  mountain  and  following  the  summit  trail 
on  to  the  west  for  a  few  miles  we  come  on  to  the  head 
waters  of  West  Beaver.  This  is  also  a  mining  stream  but 
not  to  the  extent  the  other  is.  It  is  noted  chiefly  for  the 
"Cinnabar  Springs"  located  on  it.  These  springs  consti- 
tute one  of  the  natural  wonders  of  the  Siskiyou s,  They 
have  gained  a  wide,  and  it  seems  a  just  reputation  for  the 
great  medicinal  properties  contained,  which  appear  es- 
pecially efficacious  for  skin  and  blood  diseases,  particularly 
for  syphilis  and  scorfula.  There  are  many  recorded  cases 
that  have  been  cured  after  the  doctors  have  given  the  pa- 
tients over  as  incurable.  Crowds  of  people  flock  to  them 
every  year.  Some  take  advantage  of  the  limited  accom- 
modations furnished  by  the  proprietor  and  some  go  pre- 
pared to  camp.  There  are  a  number  of  springs  differing 
in  the  properties  they  contain.  Some  are  said  to  be  pois- 
onous to  drink  and  others  are  quite  palatable.  The  treat- 
ment consists  of  drinking  the  water  and  bathing  in  the 
water  and  mud  that  is  worked  up  and  mixed  with  it.  Some 
of  the  springs  seem  strongly  saturated  with  such  properties 
as  are  found  combined  with  cinnabar.  An  extensive  de- 
posit of  that  mineral  is  found  here  and  at  one  time  a  few 
years  ago  a  company  possessed  themselves  of  it  and  moved 
in  a  large  lot  of  machinery  preparatory  to  working  and 
producing  quicksilver.  For  some  reason  they  never  per- 
fected their  plans  and  aside  from  some  extensive  prospect- 


78  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

ing  and  partial  development  the  enterprise  has  been  held 
in  abeyance.  That  situation  prevails  to  too  great  an  extent 
in  mining  matters  in  southern  Oregon  and  northern  Cali- 
fornia. A  promising  piece  of  mining  property  will  be  tied 
up  in  the  hands  of  speculators  and  adventurers,  on  promise 
to  develop  it  (the  owners  not  being  able  to  do  so),  and  will 
then  be  held  until  all  who  are  not  able  to  stand  repeated 
assessments  are  frozen  out.  In  the  meantime  the  property 
lies  idle  and  the  whole  country  is  made  to  suffer.  Cinna- 
bar is  on  the  south  slope  of  the  mountain.  Turning  now 
to  the  north  and  looking  down  the  slope  to  the  northwest, 
we  have  a  view  of  Squaw  creek  which  flows  into  "Big  Ap- 
plegate."  About  five  miles  down  the  Squaw  creek  canyon 
a  small  valley  opens  containing  some  ideal  stock  ranches- 
There  are  two  little  lakes  known  as  "Squaw"  lakes,  that 
in  their  environment  of  high  heavily  timbered  mountains 
and  the  deep  blue  of  their  deep  clear  waters,  remind  one 
of  what  he  has  read  about  some  of  the  romantic  lakes  of 
Scotland  and  Ireland.  The  lakes  and  the  streams  that 
flow  into  them  are  full  of  trout  some  of  which  reach  eight- 
een inches  in  length.  These  lakes  are  very  clear  and  more 
than  a  hundred  feet  deep.  The  lakes  and  the  lands  about 
them  have  gone  into  private  ownership  and  are  held  at  a 
very  high  figure.  As  a  mountain  home  for  the  stock- 
raiser  the  place  is  almost  invaluable,  and  as  a  summer  home 
for  some  man  having  sufficient  money  to  afford  such  a  lux- 
ury it  would  be  great.  Almost  everything  that  can  be 
produced  in  Rogue  River  valley  will  grow  here.  The  lower 
lake  appears  to  have  been  greatly  deepened  and  enlarged 
by  the  sliding  of  the  mountain  into  the  canyon  that  affords 
it  an  outlet.  Trees  can  be  seen  near  the  lower  end  of  the 
lake  in  a  depth  of  thirty  or  more  feet  of  water,  while  the 
trees  still  standing  on  the  mountain  side  near  by  are  all 
awry  as  though  they  had  been  disturbed  in  their  positions 
and  tipped  over.  This  place  is  about  thirty  miles  south 
of  Jacksonville. 

Still  following  the  summit  trail  of  the  Siskiyous  after 
passing  opposite  the  head  waters  of  Squaw  creek  we  come 
opposite  the  head  waters  of  Elliott  creek.  This  is  another 
of  the  beautiful  and  romantic  streams  of  the  region — rich 
in  gold,  large  in  volume,  clear  and  set  in  a  frame-work  of 
forestry  decorations  that  can  neither  be  imitated  nor  ade- 
quately described.  The  south  slope  at  the  north  side  of 
its  canyon  is  a  continuous  natural  park  of  oak,  maple,  fir, 
pine  and  cedar,  everywhere  carpeted  with  a  luxuriant 
growth  of  grass  and  furnishing  pasturage  for  hundreds  of 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        79 

cattle  and  horses  that  are  roaming  about.  Following  our 
summit  trail  a  few  miles  further  we  come  into  the  vicinity 
of  the  Blue  Lead  Copper  mine.  This  property  was  sold  by 
the  several  small  owners  that  located  it,  to  capital- 
ists from  Montana,  who  paid  $15  0,000  for  it  after  spending 
perhaps  twice  that  amount  in  determining  whether  it  was 
worth  it.  For  the  past  four  years  they  have  worked  sev- 
eral hundred  men  there  and  since  buying  it  have  constructed 
a  fine  wagon  road  to  the  property  which  is  situated  at  an 
altitude  of  about  four  thousand  feet.  A  railroad  is  being 
projected  to  it  with  the  prospect  that  before  a  great  while 
it  will  have  direct  rail  communication  with  Rogue  River 
valley.  Moving  westerly  along  the  summit  of  the  Sis- 
kiyous  we  come  opposite  the  Big  Applegate.  As  before 
stated  this  stream  has  been  the  source  of  a  large  part  of 
the  mineral  wealth  that  has  been  reaped  in  south  western 
Oregon. 


Chapter  X. 

A    RAMBLE    THROUGH    AM)    OVER    THE    SISK1VOUS. 

(Continued.) 

"An  island  full  of  hills  and  dells, 

All  rumpled  and  uneven 
With  green  recesses,  sudden  swells, 

And  odorous  valleys  driven 
So  deep  and  straight,  that  always  there 

The  wind  is  cradled  in  soft  air." 

If  we  were  to  go  down  into  Big  Applegate  valley  and 
travel  to  the  mouth  of  that  stream  we  would  find  its  banks 
dotted  with  prosperous  and  happy  homes  for  thirty  miles. 
Sometimes  the  valley  spreads  to  generous  breadth  and 
again  narrows  to  a  meager  margin.  Where  tributaries 
enter  it  has  greater  breadth  and  the  industrious  farmer, 
stockman  and  miner  have  utilized  the  fertile  bottom  lands, 
the  grass  covered  mountain  sides  and  the  gravels  on  the 
bars  and  in  the  gulches.  Remembering  that  the  climate 
is  such  as  has  been  ascribed  to  Rogue  River  valley,  wi 
can  easily  picture  orchards,  farms,  gardens,  fields  of  alfalfa 
and  grain,  pure  running  water  everywhere,  all  set  in  frames 
of  lofty  picturesque  mountains,  bordered  and  decorated 
with  the  growths  before  described.  The  school  house  and 
church  appear  at  convenient  intervals  and  evidence  of 
poverty  is  reduced  to  the  minimum.  Game  is  plentiful 
in  the  mountains  and  trout  in  the  mountain  streams. 

Moving  a  few  miles  further  to  the  west  we  reach  the 
summit  of  Grayback,  another  of  the  high  points  of  the  Sis- 
kiyou mountains.  We  are  here  almost  on  the  line  divid- 
ing California  and  Oregon,  and  have  thousands  of  square 
miles  in  view.  This  is.  a  land  of  magnificent  distances, 
and  the  shining  peaks  observed  from  fifty  miles  back  are 
seen  with  equal  facility  from  the  top  of  Grayback.  To 
attempt  to  describe  the  general  view  from  each  of  these 
high  points  would  simply  be  a  repetition.  There  is  a 
difference  of  course,  in  the  nearer  details  but  the  general 
view  has  much  the  same  appearance-  and  is  almost  con- 
fusing for  its  magnitude.  The  snowbanks  of  Grayback 
like  those  of  Ashland  butte,  cling  to  it  in  protected  spots 
throughout  the  summer  and  send  down  into  the  valleys 
in  generous  abundance  the  water  so  frequently  mentioned. 


AND  MARBLE   HALLS  OF  OREGON.  81 

We  see  the  canyons  leading  way  down  the  rugged 
sides  of  this  great  eminence,  dark  and  somber  in  the 
weight  of  the  ever  present  forest  and  know  that  at  the  bot- 
tom of  each  is  singing  merrily  along,  a  beautiful  stream 
of  that  for  the  lack  of  which  so  much  of  the  world's  surface 
is  desolate.  Crossing  now  to  what  is  known  as  "Little 
Grayback" — itself  a  greater  than  mount  Washington — we 
overlook  Williams  creek  in  Josephine  county,  Oregon.  This 
little  valley  is  worthy  of  special  mention.  It  is  twelve 
or  fifteen  miles  in  length  and  from  one  to  five  in  breadth. 
Some  of  the  finest  farms  to  be  found  in  the  Siskiyous  are 
in  this  valley.  No  country  has  a  greater  abundance  of 
water,  nor  is  better  supplied  with  good  mountain  range. 
There  are  large  areas  of  it  not  yet  under  cultivation  but  it 
contains  one  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  progressive  com- 
munities in  the  county.  Its  climate  is  like  that  of  Rogue 
River  valley  and  with  soil  of  similar  character  all  it  needs 
to  make  it  a  veritable  garden  spot  is  railroad  communica- 
tion. Its  borders  and  neighboring  gulches  produce  quan- 
tities of  gold  and  the  mountains  bordering  it  are  supplied 
with  marble  of  fine  quality.  In  fact  from  our  perch  on 
Grayback  we  are  looking  out  over  broad  fields  of  marble 
and  other  limestone  to  the  west,  northwest  and  north,  of 
which  mention  has  heretofore  been  made.  Evidently  the 
time  was  when  these  mountains  were  under  the  sea  and 
these  marble  beds  were  being  laid  in  the  water  and  have 
since  been  raised  to  the  surface  by  the  intrusion  of  exten- 
sive granite  dykes  that  make  up  the  mass  of  the  Siskiyous. 
Doubtless  at  first  this  field  of  limestone,  now  largely  met- 
amorphosed into  marble,  was  practically  level  and  covered 
hundreds  of  square  miles,  or  more.  The  intrusion  of  the 
granite  and  elevation  of  the  mass  broke  it  up  and  tended 
to  throw  it  into  irregularities.  Subsequent  erosion  has 
carried  away  a  large  part,  perhaps  the  larger  part  of  it 
leaving  the  residue  on  the  tops  of  the  higher  ridges  with 
deep  canyons  between.  In  places  where  these  canyons 
have  been  cut  to  great  depths  the  bedding  of  the  marble 
may  be  seen  a  thousand  feet  or  more  above  the  streams 
that  run  at  the  bottom.  This  bedding  appears  to  be  a 
bluish  slate.  Great  caverns  have  been  formed  in  these 
limestone  deposits  that  have  not  yet  been  fully  explored, 
but  constitute  the  greatest  natural  wonder  of  the  Old 
Island.  A  separate  chapter  will  be  given  to  the  descrip- 
tion of  them  from  a  personal  exploration  by  the  writer 
in  company  with  Joaquin  Miller,  "The  Poet  of  the  Sierras'* 
and  Senator  Jefferson  Myer  of  Portland.   Allow  me  to  remark 


82  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

in  passing,  that  the  erosion  of  these  limestone  beds  has 
been  one  of  the  sources  from  which  these  valleys  have 
gained  their  renowned  fertility.  The  uses  of  lime  as  em- 
ployed in  nature  make  up  a  very  interesting  study  and 
inasmuch  as  the  presentation  of  it  will  further  enlighten 
the  reader  on  the  region  under  discussion,  I  will  also  give 
that  in  a  subsequent  chapter. 

We  will  now  continue  our  visual  observation  from  the 
mountain  top.  Remembering  that  we  are  still  on  the 
summit  of  Grayback  we  will  direct  our  attention  to  some  of 
the  canyons  trending  toward  the  west  and  northwest.  The 
principal  ones  are  Deer  creek,  Sucker  creek  and  Althouse, 
beginning  at  the  northwest  and  veering  around  to  the  west 
in  the  order  named.  These  streams  are  all  tributary  to 
the  Illinois  river  which  in  turn  is  a  tributary  of 
Rogue  river  and  is  a  large  stream.  Each  of  the 
streams  mentioned,  in  their  lower  courses  have  valleys 
through  which  they  run,  of  considerable  extent  and  have 
the  same  general  characteristics  of  climate  and  soil  as  the 
others  described.  In  these  valleys  are  large  and  prosper- 
ous settlements,  with  yet  thousands  of  acres  to  be  reduced 
to  cultivation.  From  what  has  been  said  it  will  occur 
to  the  reader  that  water  for  all  purposes  is  plentiful. 
Sucker  creek,  Althouse  and  the  Illinois  valley  are  practi- 
cally one.  The  upper  end  of  this  great  area  is  spread 
out  like  a  fan,  with  a  reasonably  even  country  lying  between 
the  streams,  the  greater  part  of  which  is  susceptible  of  a 
high  state  of  cultivation.  Some  of  the  lands  are  prairie 
with  considerable  areas  of  oak,  maple  and  scattering  pine 
and  fir  timber.  Much  of  the  oak  is  of  good  quality  and  if 
the  valley  had  railroad  facilities  would  become  a  source  of 
important  revenue.  Kerbyville  lies  in  the  valley  on  the 
bank  of  the  Illinois  river  and  was  for  many  years  the 
county  seat  of  Josephine  county,  before  the  building  of  the 
S.  P.  railroad  gave  birth  to  Grants  Pass.  In  the  early 
mining  days  "Kerby"  was  one  of  the  chief  towns  of  southern 
Oregon,  which  together  with  Waldo  about  twelve  miles  to 
the  southwest,  did  an  important  business.  During  those 
days  all  of  the  southern  part  of  the  state  obtained  its 
supplies  by  ocean  to  Crescent  City,  thence  inland  by  pack 
train,  later  by  wagon,  and  these  towns  were  the  chief  places 
of  trade  along  the  line  to  the  interior.  In  those  days  the 
neighboring  streams  were  swarming  with  miners  and  these 
towns  busy  and  humming  with  life  and  activity  peculiar 
to  the  western  mines.  It  was  placer  mining  then  and  these 
mines  were  famed  as  among  the  richest  of  all  the  "upper 


AND  MARBLE   HALLS  OP  OREGON.  8.) 

country."  Since  then  the  placers  have  been  pretty  well 
worked  out  and  freighting  is  no  longer  done  over  the  Cres- 
cent City  road.  Farming,  dairying  and  fruit  raising  have 
largely  supplanted  the  miner  and  the  freighter  and  the 
building  of  the  S.  P.  railroad  has  caused  the  glory  to  de- 
part from  these  old  towns.  Notwithstanding  all  this, 
however,  quite  an  extensive  trade  is  maintained  for  each 
is  surrounded  by  a  growing  and  thrifty  population  and 
mining  is  still  prosecuted  to  a  considerable  extent.  The 
farmer,  orchardist  and  stockman  finds  a  market  for  his 
produce  among  the  remaining  placer  miners  and  the  rapidly 
increasing  quartz  miners,  and  the  surplus  is  carted  from 
thirty  to  fifty  miles  to  Grants  Pass.  Extensive  copper 
mining  interests  are  being  developed  near  Waldo  and  a 
smelter  has  been  in  operation  for  the  past  three  years. 
These  enterprises  give  employment  to  many  men  and  the 
country  is  being  gradually  filled  and  the  same  appearance 
of  thrift  and  contentment  prevails  that  characterizes  the 
other  valleys  mentioned.  The  mountains  surrounding 
these  valleys  of  Sucker  creek,  Althouse  and  Illinois,  are 
wonderfully  rich  in  varied  mineral  resources,  copper,  gold, 
and  chrome  which  carries  a  goodly  per  cent  of  silver  and, 
then,  the  limestone  and  marble  are  not  to  be  forgotten. 
The  magnificent  forests  that  surround  these  valleys  cause 
covetous  eyes  to  squint  and  mouths  to  water.  Here  we 
see  the  first  of  the  white  or  Port  Orford  cedar,  the  most 
beautiful  trees  in  the  world;  tall,  straight  and  with  foliage 
as  handsome  as  lace.  Here  is  water  power  going  to  waste 
sufficient  to  operate  the  machinery  of  a  kingdom;  water 
enough  to  reclaim  a  large  desert.  Strawberries,  peaches 
and  melons  that  are  great  bundles  of  sunshine,  sugar  and 
water;  marble  for  the  door  step  of  the  humblest  cottager; 
apples  and  pears  that  would  bring  the  highest  price  in  the 
markets  of  the  world,  all  waiting  for  the  bulls  and  bears 
and  other  beasts  of  the  great  financial  zoo  to  stop  fighting 
and  stealing  from  one  another  long  enough  to  build  a  rail- 
road into  this  paradise  hidden  away  in  the  glorious  Siski- 
you mountains.  Looked  at  from  any  eminence  these 
valleys  make  a  beautiful  picture,  green  and  clad  in  the 
finest  foliage  in  the  summer  and  gorgeous  in  autumn  color- 
ing, streams  of  the  purest  water  everywehere  singing  lulla- 
bys  at  all  seasons.  The  summer  breezes  cooled  from  the 
mountain  tops  come  laden  with  odors  and  incense  beyond 
the  power  of  kings  to  buy.  Yet  we  read  of  the  sweat  shop 
and  the  poor  consumpted  women  and  children  working  into 
the  small  still  hours  of  the  night,  by  the  dim  light  of  kero- 


84  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU  ISLAND 

sene  lamps,  in  stuffy  dingy  rooms  in  the  wealth  and  smoke 
cursed  cities,  strangers  to  a  single  breath  of  God's  pure  air, 
working,  working,  working  for  the  simple  possibilities  of 
life  and  that  the  rich  man  may  live  in  splendor.  And  these 
same  rich  taskmasters,  what  would  they  do  if  the  opportun- 
ity came  to  them  to  still  further  augment  their  wealth  from 
these  vast  resources?  The  answer  is  easy.  They  would 
attack  these  great  forests  in  their  savage  greed  and  make 
a  desert  waste  of  these  grand  mountains  and  beautiful  val- 
leys, if  only  they  could  add  to  their  hoards.  The  beauty 
of  it  as  it  now  is  is  worth  more  than  the  combined  wealth 
of  Rockefeller  and  Morgan,  and  yet — it  could  be  made  more 
beautiful  and  helpful  to  humanity  if  only  a  small  part  of 
their  over-burden  were  spent  here  in  a  proper  way.  I 
would  not  exchange  my  freedom  of  enjoyment  in  the  revels 
I  get  in  the  open  air  in  such  an  environment  for  all  the 
wealth  of  either  of  them,  if  I  had  to  take  with  it  the  terrible 
disease  that  almost  universally  afflicts  the  confirmed  money- 
getter.  The  acquired  greed  for  money  is  one  of  the  worst 
curses  that  can  afflict  any  man.  Joaquin  Miller,  speaking 
of  the  millionaire  in  relation  to  the  beauties  to  be  found 
in  such  scenes  as  I  have  been  describing,  justly  says: 

The  gold  that  in  the  sunlight  lies 

In  bursting  heaps  at  dawn, 
The  silver  spilling  from  the  skies 

At  night  to  walk  upon, 
The  diamonds  gleaming  in  the  dew 

He  never  saw,  he  never  knew. 

Money  is  necessary  in  the  development  of  great  re- 
sources, the  development  of  which  is  essential  for  the  higher 
enjoyment  and  elevation  of  man.  These  valleys  would 
support  swarms  of  contented  and  happy  people  and  give 
them  ample  time  for  the  enjoyment  of  the  grand  and  untam- 
ed beauties  of  the  mountains,  if  only  the  money-mad  were 
kept  away. 

I  will  ask  the  reader  to  accompany  me  down  the  moun- 
tain to  Waldo,  thence  across  the  mountain  by  a  good  wagon 
road  to  Crescent  City  about  fifty  miles,  where  we  will  see 
the  waves  of  the  ocean  still  washing  the  shores  of  the  Old 
Island,  for  on  its  western  shore  it  has  never  been  divorced 
from  the  briny  deep.  Wending  our  way  down  through 
the  splendid  forests,  loitering  along  the  streams  with  hook 
and  line,  or  camping  for  a  day  or  two  wherever  the  fancy 
strikes  us,  we  find  an  untrammeled   satisfaction  not  to  be 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        So 

found  at  pleasure  resorts,  or  about  great  hostelries  that  lie 
within  the  reach  of  the  swarms  of  the  busy  and  idle  of  the 
great  cities.  Waldo  is  situated  at  the  extreme  southwest 
corner  of  Illinois  valley  where  the  road  to  Crescent  City 
starts  across  the  mountains  that  separate  these  valleys 
from  the  sea.  There  are  but  a  few  houses  remaining  but 
their  character,  size  and  strength  show  that  they  were 
built  for  a  purpose  and  under  conditions  with  which  they  are 
not  now  in  touch.  One  is  still  occupied  as, a  store,  another 
as  a  warehouse,  still  another  as  a  saloon,  for  the  miners 
hereabout  think  they  must  have  their  "booze"  and  still 
others  shelter  the  few  families  remaining.  The  old  hotel 
shows  evidence  of  its  former  inportance  and  still  invites  the 
traveler  to  its  homely  but  wholesome  fare.  This  is  also 
a  station  on  the  stage  road  between  Grants  Pass  and  Cres- 
cent City,  and  has  its  postoffice  and  school  house.  About 
it  are  some  fields  and  orchards  and  everywhere  in  the  neigh- 
borhood the  dumps,  ditches  and  wrecks  of  old  mines  are 
in  evidence.  Only  a  few  miles  away  is  the  copper  smelter 
and  lounging  about  the  saloon,  store  and  hotel  will  be 
found  men  who  are  ready  to  give  information  of  the  last 
strike  and  the  prospects  of  great  operations  in  the  mines 
soon.  Some  of  these  old  miners  have  been  in  the  vicinity 
for  more  than  forty  years  and  can  tell  many  interesting 
stories  of  their  adventures  and  rich  finds.  If  you  were 
to  accompany  one  of  them  to  his  home  you  would  find  him 
housed  in  a  little  log  cabin  far  up  the  gulch,  near  the 
banks  of  a  stream.  Generally  a  single  room  with  cooking 
stove,  bed,  table,  a  few  shelves  to  accommodate  his  dishes, 
a  few  home  made  chairs  and  benches,  while  from  the  rafters 
and  joists  would  be  hanging  the  rough  clothing  and  ac- 
coutrements of  the  miner  and  the  corners  of  the  room  will 
be  littered  up  with  gum  boots,  gold  pans,  shovels,  etc.  One 
or  two  rude  outbuildings  shelter  the  wood  and  such  other 
of  his  heavier  possessions  for  which  room  could  not  be 
found  in  the  cabin.  Usually  a  cat  and  a  dog  or  two. 
Always  a  gun  and  fishing  tackle.  Sometimes  a  little 
garden  patch  and  perhaps  a  few  fruit  trees.  Here  he  has 
lived  year  in  and  year  out,  growing  old  and  every  day  tak- 
ing on  more  and  more  of  a  resemblance  to  his  rugged  sur- 
roundings. His  cabin  is  always  open  to  the  belated  or 
fatigued  wanderer.  He  will  share  his  bed  and  frugal  fare 
with  a  generosity  and  hospitality  scarcely  found  anywhere 
else,  though  he  may  have  carried  it  in  here  on  his  back  for 
many  a  weary  mile  over  the  rough  mountain  trail.  No 
experience   is  more   interesting  than   unexpectedly  to  come 


m  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

upon  such  a  habitation  just  as  the  shades  of  the  evening  are 
coming  on,  and  the  night  noises  of  these  great  forests  are 
beginning  to  be  heard  and  felt,  perhaps  just  as  you  are 
thinking  of  passing  a  lonely  night  with  your  back  to  a  log 
and  only  the  trees  and  sky  above,  tired  and  hungry.  The 
smoke  from  his  little  clearing  attracts  you  and  a  moment 
later  you  are  welcomed  inside  his  humble  home.  Many 
questions  are  asked,  the  stove  is  lighted  up  and  soon  you 
are  invited  to  sit  up,  as  ravenous  as  a  bear,  and  enjoy  his 
home-made  bread,  fried  bacon,  black  coffee  and  potatoes. 
I  have  had  such  experiences  and  never  did  spread  at  the 
most  high  toned  resort  give  such  satisfaction.  The  meal 
done,  pipe  and  tobacco  are  produced  and  seated  by  the 
blazing  fire  an  interchange  of  conversation  follows  long  to 
be  remembered.  Morning  comes,  breakfast  over  and  you 
go  out  into  the  crisp  sweet  air  of  the  mountains,  laden  as  it 
always  is  with  an  aroma  wild  and  delicious  and  you  feel 
that  you  too,  could  spend  the  remainder  of  your  days  in 
such  an  environment.  The  old  miner  follows  you  to  the 
gate,  begging  that  if  you  ever  come  that  way  again  to  be 
sure  and  stop  with  him.  As  you  say  your  heartfelt  good 
bye  he  asks  you  to  give  a  little  message  for  him  down  at 
the  store  as  you  pass  by  and  you  are  out  on  the  trail  in 
the  full  enjoyment  of  the  morning  walk  after  the  cheer 
of  such  a  night.  Sometime,  sooner  or  later,  the  old  miner 
will  be  missed  longer  than  usual  from  the  store  and  some 
one  goes  to  see  about  it.  It  is  the  old  story.  The 
rocker  is  idle  by  the  stream,  the  frightened  cat  scurries  for 
a  hiding  place.  There  is  no  response  to  the  anxious  knock, 
The  latch  is  raised,  the  door  swings  opn  to  the  push,  the 
room  is  dark  and  cold  but  otherwise  as  you  have  seen  it 
before  except  that  cold,  stiff  form  on  the  bed  in  "the  corner. 
He  died  as  he  lived,  alone.  Miners  are  notified,  a  grave 
is  dug  in  his  own  little  clearing  and  he  is  laid  to  rest  in 
the  spot  he  so  long  called  his  home. 


Chapter  XI. 

FROM  WALDO  TO  CRESCENT  CITY  AND  UP  THE  COAST 
TO  COQUILLE  RIVER. 

''Roll  on,  thou  dark  and  deep  blue  ocean — roll!" 

From  Waldo  across  the  mountains  to  Crescent  City  is 
about  fifty  miles,  and  the  direction  is  west  by  a  quarter 
south.  The  mountains  are  very  rugged  and  belong  to  the 
Old  Island  formation.  They  are  generally  classed  as  the 
Coast  range,  but  this  is  a  mistake,  as  the  Coast  range  abuts 
upon  the  Old  Island  north  of  Coos  bay.  The  junction  has 
not  beeen  scientifically  ascertained  as  yet,  though  Prof.  J.  S 
Diller  of  the  geological  department  having  charge  of  field 
work  has  been  making  the  survey  northwest  of  Grants  Pass 
the  past  season,  and  as  the  work  progresses  northerly  the 
point  will  be  determined.  In  fact  the  Old  Island  has  as  yet 
received  only  casual  attention  from  the  department  ot  geol- 
ogy but  in  the  future  will  furnish  most  interesting  data 
among  the  geological  records.  I  have  said  that  the  main 
mass  of  the  Siskiyou  mountains  is  composed  of  granite,  but 
it  must  not  be  inferred  that  there  are  not  large  areas  that 
now  show  aggregations  of  other  formation.  In  places  the 
intrusive  granite  has  not  reached  the  surface  either  in  its 
upward  movement  nor  by  erosion  of  the  sedimentary  forma- 
tions that  covered  it.  In  many  places  the  erosion  has  been 
complete,  in  others  it  has  not  progressed  to  that  stage. 

There  is  a  good  wagon  road  for  so  rough  a  country, 
between  Waldo  and  Crescent  City  and  a  daily  stage  line 
passes  over  it.  The  first  nine  or  ten  miles  out  from  Waldo 
is  a  heavy  mountain  climb,  continually  upward.  Here  we 
reach  the  summit  of  the  first  and  highest  ridge  and  from 
the  top  will  indulge  in  the  view  as  it  presents  itself.  To 
the  east,  northeast  and  southeast  the  view  is  an  inspiring 
one.  The  Illinois,  Sucker  creek  and  Althouse  country  lies 
spread  out  below  us  with  perfect  distinctness  and  presents  as 
fne  a  picture  as  any  of  the  many  heretofore  described. 
Grayback  and  the  other  high  points  of  the  Siskiyous  rise 
grandly  east  of  us  showing  their  great  areas  of  forest  with 
here  and  there  patches  of  snow  above  the  timberline. 
With  a  glass  farms  and  orchards  can  be  seen  in  the  valleys 
and  beyond  them  far  to  the  northeast  can  be  seen  the  high 
eminences  of  the   Cascade   mountains.        The   lower  moun- 


88  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU  ISLAND 

tains  lying  between  us  and  Rogue  River  valley  emphasize 
the  perspective  and  enable  us  to  determine  the  borders  of 
that  valley  where  the  Cascade  mountains  impinge  upon  it. 
To  the  south  and  southwest  all  is  mountain  billow  cut 
with  canyons  and  clad  in  forest.  Turning  now  we  pursue 
our  journey  to  the  west  and  at  once  commence  a  descent 
by  a  reasonably  regular  grade  but  by  a  very  sinuous  course. 
So  steep  is  the  mountain  that  in  places  several  tracks  seem 
to  be  lying  along  the  mountain  side  below  us.  We  dis- 
cover that  it  is  only  our  own  road  which  seems  to  double 
and  bend  upon  itself.  The  mountain  slope  down  which 
the  road  runs  has  been  burned  over  and  there  is  little  but 
burned  stumps,  brush  and  rocks  covering  large  areas,  as 
sad   a   sight  as   the   ruins   of   San   Francisco   were.  The 

timber  has  started  again  and  in  spots  has  made  considerable 
progress,  but  upon  the  whole  the  mountain  is  practically 
a  barren  waste  for  many  a  weary  mile.  The  grade  by 
erraitc  courses  drop  us  rapidly  down.  Occasionally  we  cross 
a  ravine  with  water.  At  Shelly  creek  we  notice  sand  stone 
About  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  out  from  Crescent  City  we 
come  into  the  redwoods.  Here  the  country  is  practically 
level.  The  dense  growth  of  redwood  timber  stands  so  tall 
and  thick  that  the  sun  seldom  penetrates  enough  to  be  felt. 
The  undergrowth  is  a  perfect  jungle  of  brush  and  ferns, 
the  latter  reaching  eight  or  ten  feet  in  height.  Fogs 
almost  constantly  hang  over  the  forest,  so  dense  and  low 
that  the  tops  of  the  trees  are  sometimes  obscured.  We 
are  down  almost  to  the  sea  and  the  ground  being  practically 
level  and  always  shaded  never  dries  out.  The  roads  are 
covered  with  holes  and  split  redwoods — corduroy  it  is  call- 
ed— to  make  them  passable.  The  jungle  is  matted  with 
vine  maple,  hazel  and  other  growths  so  dense  that  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  get  through  it  and  being  always  wet 
and  often  boggy  would  soon  become  impassable  in  the 
roads  but  for  the  corduroying.  We  notice  a  decided  differ- 
ence in  the  atmosphere.  In  fact  as  soon  as  we  started 
down  the  mountain  wre  sniffed  the  salt  sea  breeze  with  a 
relish.  I  shall  not  stop  to  describe  the  redwood,  it  has  been 
done  so  often  that  the  reader  is  doubtless  familiar  with  it. 
Here  is  an  almost  virgin  forest  as  yet  little  disturbed.  At 
Smith  river  a  few  miles  out  is  quite  a  settlement  chiefly 
engaged  in  dairying.  Where  the  timber  has  been  cleared 
away  the  growth  is  rank  and  rapid.  Clover  seems  to  be 
indigenous  and  grows  to  perfection  as  does  the  redtop 
and  timothy.  Occasionally  there  are  spots  of  prairie,  or 
lands  only  covered  with  brush,  where  the  difficulty  in  mak- 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OP  OREGON.       89 

ing  farms  is  comparatively  light.  The  greatest  trial  of  the 
farmer  is  to  keep  down  the  fern,  the  humidity  makes  it 
almost  impossible  to  kill  it  out.  Clearing  up  the  timber 
lands  along  the  coast  is  a  very  arduous  and  laborious  task, 
and  the  making  of  a  farm  is  the  work  of  a  lifetime.  Where- 
ever  the  logs,  trees  and  brush  are  cleared  away  the  redtop, 
timothy  and  clover  is  grown  in  rank  abundance  without 
difficulty.  This  greatly  enhances  the  value  of  these  lands 
for  dairying,  particularly  as  the  only,  facility  for  shipping  is 
by  sea  from  an  open  roadstead,  where  for  long  periods  at  a 
time  vessels  cannot  safely  lie  at  anchor.  Loading  and 
unloading  is  done  by  lighter  which  is  impossible  in  a  rough 
sea.  Notwithstanding  all  of  these  difficulties,  including 
bad  roads  and  high  mountains,  the  early  day  settlers  and 
miners  in  all  of  Southern  Oregon  had  to  depend  on  Crescent 
City  as  a  receiving  and  distributing  port.  Lumbering  is 
carried  on  to  a  considerable  extent  and  with  a  good  harbor 
this  would  soon  become  a  famous  lumbering  point.  Cres- 
cent City  is  the  county  seat  of  Del  Norte  county,  California; 
the  extreme  northwest  county  of  that  state.  There  are 
roads  running  southerly  along  the  coast  to  Humboldt  bay 
and  northerly  to  Coos  bay.  The  town  is  a  place  of  con- 
siderable importance  and  many  of  its  people  have  grown 
wealthy  in  the  various  avocations  that  have  been  pursued 
here.  Though  the  S.  P.  railroad  is  practically  hundred 
miles  away  the  building  of  it  took  from  Crescent  City  a 
great  part  of  its  resource.  No  longer  do  ships  unload  here 
for  the  interior  nor  packtrains  or  freight  wagons  take 
cargo. 

In  many  respects  Crescent  City  is  a  picturesque  place 
with  the  broad  Pacific  and  its  ceaseless  surf  directly  in  front 
and  the  redwood  forests  and  high  mountains  behind  it. 
Many  people  from  the  interior  come  here  during  the  summer 
for  an  outing  and  to  enjoy  the  surf  and  sea  breezes  for 
a  season.  At  Smith  river  the  fishing  is  good  and  clams  are 
obtained  in  abundance  when  the  tide  is  out.  Hunting  for 
agates  and  rare  shells  on  the  seashore  is  a  pleasant  and 
sometimes  an  exciting  pastime.  A  great  reef  extends  out 
for  miles  where  seals  and  sea  lions  abound  and  around 
which  cod  and  halibut  fishing  is  fine  in  good  weather. 

With  saddle  horses  and  good  weather  a  trip  up  the  coast 
a  hundred  miles  or  more  to  Coos  bay  is  an  enjoyable 
diversion  and  thither  we  proceed  in  our  present  inspection 
of  the  shoreline  of  the  Old  Island.  Leaving  Crescent  City 
we  proceed  sometimes  directly  along  the  seashore  and 
sometimes      are      driven      inland      by      a      mountain     spur 


03  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

that  forms  a  headland  extending  out  so  as  to  prevent  the 
forming  of  a  beach  around  its  foot.  We  cross  Smith  river 
near  its  mouth  where  it  has  the  appearance  of  a  stream  of 
magnitude.  The  tide  runs  up  quite  a  distance  and  were 
it  not  for  the  drifting  sands  at  its  mouth  it  might  be  used 
as  a  harbor  for  small  craft.  A  few  Indians  may  still  be 
seen  living  in  small  huts  and  substisting  on  fish  and  game 
and  by  selling  trinkets  of  their  manufacture  to  summer 
visitors.  Some  of  them  work  for  the  whites  when  work 
is  to  be  had.  Further  up  the  coast  we  cross  Chctko  and 
Pistol  river,  each  of  which  discharges  large  volumes  of 
pellucid  water  directly  into  the  ocean.  Occasionally  we 
find  a  settler  and  sometimes  a  small  settlement.  The  land 
is  always  good  where  there  is  a  level  margin  sufficient  to 
justify  location.  Everywhere  is  cedar,  spruce  and  fir  as 
fine  as  can  be  found  anywhere  in  the  world,  but  inaccessible 
for  commercial  purposes  as  yet,  and  likely  to  remain  so 
for  many  years  to  come  for  want  of  an  outlet  and  facilities 
for  transportation.  Every  now  and  then  we  hear  rumors 
of  a  projected  railroad  up  the  coast,  but  one  who  travels 
along  it  cannot  avoid  the  conclusion  that  several  generations 
are  likely  to  come  and  go  before  such  an  event  will  come 
to  pass.  The  mountains  run  down  steeply  to  the  shore 
at  many  points  and  are  cut  by  deep  canyons  with  high  steep 
ridges  between.  It  would  be  a  very  difficult  and  expensive 
undertaking  to  say  the  least.  It  is  true  that  the  mountains 
are  full  of  valuable  mineral  and  covered  with  vast  and 
valuable  forests,  and  also  true  that  there  are  many  small 
valleys  of  valuable  agricultural  land,  but  whether  the  roads 
will  come  from  the. main  line  inland,  or  some  other  method 
will  be  employed  is  yet  problematical. 

We  cross  the  line  into  Oregon  and  come  to  Gold  Beach 
at  the  mouth  of  Rogue  River.  Here  we  find  our  stream 
a  mile  wide  and  capable  in  good  weather  of  admitting  ves- 
sels of  a  moderate  size.  Gold  Beach  is  the  county  seat 
of  Curry  county  and  is  supported  chiefly  by  the  beach  mines 
and  by  fishing.  The  fishing  industry  was  developed  here 
by  R.  D.  Hume  who  grew  very  wealthy  and  acquired  the 
title  of  the  "Salmon  King"  of  southern  Oregon.  Mr.  Hume 
died  a  few  months  ago  leaving  a  very  large  estate  in  Oregon 
and  California.  He  was  a  very  astute  business  man,  persist- 
ent and  aggressive  and  practically  acquired  a  monopoly  of 
all  business  at  Gold  Beach.  He  owned  stores,  saw  mills, 
and  his  own  vessels  by  which  he  carried  his  products  to 
San  Francisco  and  other  markets.  His  vessels  were  of 
necessity   limited   to   suit   the   character   of   the   bar   at   the 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        \)) 

mouth  of  the  river.  He  will  doubtless  be  missed'  and  it 
is  hardly  likely  that  another  will  soon  be  found  to  take  his 
place.  There  will  be  a  better  chance,  however,  for  men 
with  less  capital  who  would  have  built  modestly  but  could 
not  compete  with  the   "Salmon   King.'* 

The  black  sands  were  early  discovered  to  be  very  rich 
but  being  magnetic  it  has  been  a  difficult  matter  to  save 
the  gold.  Besides  this  the  mining  being  in  the  sands  on 
the  beach,  permanent  works  could  not  be  established  be- 
cause of  the  tides  and  the  heavy  surfs.  Various  devices 
have  been  resorted  to  to  extract  the  gold  from  the  magnetic 
sand  and  while  much  money  has  been  made  from  these 
beach  mines,  there  have  been  few  who  have  realized  the 
hope  of  the  miner.  There  is  gold  enough  to  justify  men 
of  wealth  to  take  hold  of  it  if  the  proper  method  of  working 
the  sands  could  be  devised.  It  appears  that  much  of  the 
gold  that  is  found  on  the  beach  has  come  down  Rogue  river> 
which  in  the  ruggedness  of  its  lower  course  is  a  genuine 
rock  crusher.  As  has  been  said  the  mines  along  Rogue 
river  are  and  have  been  very  rich.  Its  bars  like  those  of 
the  Klamath  river,  have  been  worked  wherever  they  could 
be  reached.  From  the  upper  Rogue  river  down  all  of  its 
tributaries  have  yielded  gold  and  many  of  them,  much  of 
it.  Hence  it  is  not  strange  that  quantities  have  eluded 
the  bars  and  the  miners  up  the  river,  and  being  ground 
finer  and  finer  as  it  proceeded  down  stream  has,  when  it 
has  reached  the  ocean,  been  thrown  upon  the  beach.  Re- 
curring again  to  what  was  said  several  chapters  back  in 
speaking  of  the  Klamath  river,  that  it  has  no  gold  above 
where  it  enters  the  Old  Island,  so  it  is  with  Rogue  river, 
it  has  produced  no  placer  gold  until  it  receives  the  tributar- 
ies from  the  Siskiyou  mountains,  or  has  reached  the  point 
where  it  crosses  the  shoreline  of  the  Old  Island.  Rogue 
river  here  at  its  mouth  has  its  history  of  romance  and  trag- 
edy. The  crew  and  passengers  of  a  wrecked  vessel  in 
the  early  days  made  shore  here  and  had  to  fight  the  Indians 
and  sustain  life  by  hunting  and  fishing  until  assistance  ar- 
rived. But  I  am  not  writing  that  kind  of  history  and 
must  not  be  led  into  it.  If  this  little  book  should  be  re- 
ceived with  a  sufficient  degree  of  favor  I  might  attempt  to 
write  the  scraps  of  history  that  have  been  made  in  this 
region  and  are  as  yet  unwritten.  In  1883  while  I  was 
Collector  of  Customs  for  the  district  of  southern  Oregon, 
stationed  at  Coos  bay,  my  jurisdiction  extended  down  to  the 
California  line.  Gold  Beach  was,  therefore  within  my 
bailiwick  and  I  had  occasion  to  come  here  on  official  duty. 


92  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

At  that  time  there  was  only  a  small  trail,  no  wagon  road, 
between  here  and  Port  Orford,  thirty  miles  up  to  the  coast. 
While  at  Gold  Beach  (it  was  Ellcrisburg  then),  a  traveling 
salesman  came  in  from  Crescent  City  and  as  the  ride  to 
Port  Orford  was  a  lonely  one  without  company,  we  arranged 
to  travel  together  and  fixed  the  date  of  our  starting. 
Having  secured  horses  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  we 
hired  a  man  to  put  us  over  in  a  skiff.  It  was  a  bright 
windy  morning  and  for  the  first  ten  miles  or  more,  our 
trail  was  over  rolling  grass  covered  hills  in  sight  of  the 
ocean  and  a  part  of  the  time  on  the  beach.  The  timbered 
mountains  stand  well  back  and  this  beautiful  wild  pasture 
being  covered  with  cattle,  horses  and  sheep,  presented  a 
fine  pastoral  scene.  Our  horses  were  fresh  and  in  good 
condition  and  we  cantered  along  with  much  enjoyment. 
Some  miles  along  a  high  headland  runs  down  to  the  sea 
and  we  had  to  pass  over  this,  reaching  an  elevation  of 
almost  a  thousand  feet.  As  we  started  up  the  steep  trail, 
with  the  land  breaking  away  sharply  to  the  sea,  the  wind 
rose  to  a  gale  and  the  surf  beat  upon  the  shore  at  a  fear- 
ful rate.  The  higher  we  rose  the  more  steeply  did  the 
hill  seem  to  break  down  to  the  water.  Mr.  Parson  (my 
companion,  was  behind  and  I  ahead.  Bye     and     bye     I 

thought  I  heard  him  call  and  looking  back  saw  him  on  the 
ground  leading  his  horse  and  making  frantic  motions  to- 
ward me.  I  stopped  until  he  came  up  and  observed  that 
he  seemed  greatly  excited.  When  he  came  near  so  that 
I  could  distinguish  his  words  above  the  din  of  the  surf  and 
the  rush  of  the  wind  I  found  that  he  was  characterizing  me 
in   language  that  missionaries   are   not   supposed   to   teach, 

as  a  fool,  and  loudly  demanding  that  I  should  get 

off  of  my  horse  or  I'd  be  blown  into  the  sea.  In  fact  my 
friend  was  suffering  from  the  most  painful  fright  I  ever 
saw  a  man  in.  He  thought  our  position  a  most  dangerous 
one  with  the  mountain  breaking  down  at  a  dangerous 
angle  into  that  violent  surf.  I  think  he  would  have  been 
thrown  into  hysterics  if  I  had  not  done  as  he  wished. 
When  in  the  course  of  a  half. mile  we  had  reached  the  top 
and  even  he  could  see  that  we  were  not  in  any  danger,  he 
was  so  overcome  that  I  had  to  wait  for  him  to  steady  his 
nerves  before  proceeding.  After  passing  over  this  we  came 
down  onto  the  beach  where  we  had  fine  going  until  we 
reached  Eucher  creek. 

Eucher  creek  is  a  delightful  little  stream  discharging 
directly  into  the  ocean.  We  had  been  told  to  fol- 
low the  stream  a  short  way  and  we  would  find  a  farm  house. 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OP  OREGON.        93 

It  was  about  noon  and  we  wero  ready  for  dinner  after  our 
romantic  ride  over  the  hills  and  along  the  beach.  The 
bed  of  the  canyon  was  not  more  than  a  hundred 
yards  wide  and  we  were  surprised  to  find  that  only 
a  few  hundred  yards  in  it  opened  up  into  a  beautiful  little 
valley  about  two  miles  long  and  perhaps  three  quarters  of 
3  mile  in  its  greatest  width.  I  have  read  in  novels  of  such 
a  cove,  but  never  before  saw  one  that  was  so  complete. 
The  stream  wound  along  through  it  so  clear  that  all  the 
colors  of  the  pebbles  on  its  bed  were  distinctly  shown.  The 
hills  arose  on  either  hand  rather  steeply  and  were  covered 
with  timber  and  brush  in  autumn  dress.  Little  groves  of 
maple,  oak,  alder  and  ash  stood  here  and  there  and  fronting 
the  stream  and  only  a  few  rods  away  was  a  neatly  con- 
structed cottage,  framed,  covered  with  rustic  and  painted 
white.  The  yard  was  enclosed  with  a  picket  fence;  barns 
and  other  out-houses  were  ranged  about,  the  fields  just 
beyond  and  a  separately  enclosed  garden  near  by.  Ducks 
and  geese  were  swimming  in  the  stream  or  waddling  along 
the  bank,  while  turkeys  and  chickens  were  engaged  in  the 
usual  occupation  of  such  poultry.  Hogs  were  rooting 
about  or  sleeping  under  the  trees.  In  the  door  yard  were 
an  abundance  and  variety  of  flowers  and  on  the  porch  and 
in  the  windows  were  pots  containing  flowering  plants.  Every- 
thing was  as  neat  as  a  pin,  while  the  sound  of  the  surf  just 
outside  the  gateway  came  clearly  to  the  ear.  The  spot 
was  the  most  romantic  I  ever  saw  and  everything  boded 
contentment,  love,  civilized  intelligence  and  that  oft  sung 
vision  of  a  "cottage  by  the  sea."  We  found  the  proprietor, 
made  our  wants  known  and  were  invited  inside  the  house 
to  await  dinner.  What  we  saw  inside  was  no  less  at- 
tractive and  we  were  curious  to  know  something  of  the 
how  and  why.  The  man  and  his  wife  were  very  intelligent 
people  and  from  them  we  learned  that  they  had  lived  there 
several  years.  The  man  had  once  been  a  police  officer  in 
San  Francisco  and  his  wife  had  been  raised  in  the  city. 
While  up  north  on  some  official  business  he  had  accidentally 
dropped  in  here  and  was  at  once  so  enamored  of  the  place 
that  he  began  negotiations  for  it.  A  conditional  purchase  was 
agreed  upon  and  he  returned  to  the  city  for  his  wife.  They 
visited  the  place  together  and  were  of  the  same  mind  in 
regard  to  it.  They  bought  it  and  at  considerable  expense 
made  the  improvements  I  have  described  and  declared  that 
they  had  never  regretted  the  change. 

After   dinner  and   a  ramble   about  the  valley  for  half 
an  hour  we  again  took  up  our  journey.       Soon  after  leaving 


94  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

this  little  valley  of  enchantment  we  climbed  inland  over 
another  headland  which  barred  our  way  on  the  beach. 
Reaching  the  top  about  a  mile  or  more  inland  we  struck 
the  head  o£  a  stream  which  we  followed  down  its  whole 
course  of  several  miles  and  came  out  on  the  beach  again 
about  four  miles  below  Port  Orford,  which  place  we  reached 
about  five  o'clock  in  the  evening,  having  run  a  gauntlet  of 
fire  for  a  couple  of  miles  where  the  stream  passed  through 
some  heavy  timber.  Here  Mr.  Parsons  came  near  having 
another  attack  of  hysteria.  To  get  mixed  up  with  a  forest 
fire  in  the  mountains  is  not  a  pleasant  experience  at  best 
and  this  did  look  dangerous,  for  we  could  not  get  away 
from  the  stream  and  the  fire  was  on  both  sides  of  it. 

It  was  our  purpose  to  take  the  stage  at  Port  Orford 
for  Bandon  at  the  mouth  of  the  Coquille  river,  thirty  miles 
north.  The  stage  made  the  trip  down  one  day  and  back 
the  next  and  had  that  morning  left  for  the  north,  so  that 
we  had  to  stay  over  one  day  and  two  nights.  This  was 
satisfactory  for  the  headlands,  beach,  lagoons,  and  country 
about  were  very  interesting.  The  weather  was  fine  and 
after  supper  we  climbed  the  promontory  just  west  of  the 
town  and  watched  the  sun  sink  into  the  blue  Pacific.  The 
place  is  one  of  the  most  picturesque  to  be  found  on  the 
coast.  It  is  only  a  few  miles  below  Cape  Blanco,  the  most 
westerly  point  in  the  United  States  and  the  village  stands 
on  high  land  overlooking  a  beautiful  fine  weather  harbor. 
A  great  curve  is  here  made  in  the  shore  line  forming  a  cres- 
cent open  to  the  south  with  the  western  horn  projecting  in 
a  sandstone  headland  southerly,  almost  one  hundred  feet 
high,  forming  in  the  bight  a  good  shelter  for  ships  in  a 
northwesterly  storm.  Here  I  watched  the  thundering 
surf  beating  against  the  foot  of  this  headland  and  noted 
the  manner  of  work  it  was  performing.  The  evidence  of 
sea  action  which  I  have  described  among  the  sandstone 
cliffs  along  the  sides  of  Grizzly  mountain  and  in  the  vicinity 
of  Ashland,  I  find  verified  here  and  in  present  operation. 
As  these  mountain  billows  come  rolling  in  they  break  with 
great  force  against  the  cliffs,  throwing  the  spray  fifty  feet 
high.  Where  there  are  seams  and  fissures  in  the  cliffs  the 
force  of  the  blows  keep  cutting  deeper  and  deeper  until 
arches  and  caverns  of  large  extent  are  formed.  Occasion- 
ally the  power  of  the  water  has  forced  immense  slabs, 
weighing  hundreds  of  tons,  from  the  wall  and  as  they  topple 
over  are  gradually  ground  to  sand  by  the  weight  and 
force  of  the  waves.  All  of  the  headlands  and  cliffs  that 
we  have  passed  from  Crescent  City  on  our  way  up  the  coast, 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.        05 

bear  the  same  evidence  of  this  action  and  in  every  instance 
afe  easily  identified  as  the  objects  of  attack  by  the  same 
elements  that  have  cut  and  carved  the  sandstone  cliffs  of 
Grizzly  mountain.  To  the  northwest  of  this  headland  is 
Agate  beach,  where  quantities  of  fine  agates  are  found  ana 
around  the  sides  of  Grizzly  and  along  the  foot  of  the  Cas- 
cades we  find  the  material  from  which  they  are  worn  smooth 
and  beautiful  by  the  sea.  Between  the  town  and  the 
beach  to  the  northwest  is  a  lagoon  of  considerable  extent 
and  depth  and  literally  alive  with  trout.  The  lagoon  is 
separated  from  the  surf  by  a  ridge  of  sand  dunes  near- 
ly a  hundred  feet  high  and  absolutely  barren  of  all  vegeta- 
tion. Captain  Tichenor  located  here  about  sixty  years  ago 
in  the  belief  that  at  some  time  it  would  become  a  port  of 
importance  and  the  government  has  at  times  investigated  it 
as  a  possible  site  for  a  harbor  of  refuge.  The  expense, 
however,  would  run  into  the  millions  and  as  yet  it  has  not 
been  undertaken.  With  enough  outlay  it  woul(J  doubtless 
become  a  boon  to  the  coasting  trade  and  other  vessels  sail- 
ing these  waters  in  bad  weather.  There  are  very  few 
harbors  on  the  Pacific  coast  that  vessels  can  safely  enter 
in  heavy  and  continued  gales.  The  settlement  here  has 
not  been  particularly  remunerative  to  those  who  cast  their 
lot  in  it  on  account  of  its  isolation.  Coasting  vessels  fre- 
quently run  in  when  the  weather  is  good  or  for  shelter 
from  northwesters,  but  regular  packets  seldom  stop.  Hav- 
ing spent  an  interesting  day  fishing  in  the  lagoon,  gathering 
agates  and  shells  on  the  beach  and  studying  wave  action 
on  the  rocks  we  climbed  into  the  stage  on  the  second  morn- 
ing after  our  arrival  and  just  as  the  early  sun  began  to 
light  up  the  crests  of  the  combers  we  plunged  into  the  for- 
est, bound  for  Bandon.  The  road  was  good  and  fairly 
level.  A  few  ranches  were  passed  and  a  few  miles  out 
we  crossed  the  Sixes  which  is  a  stream  of  considerable  im- 
portance, clear  and  cold  and  running  with  a  strong  current. 
A  few  miles  up  this  river  there  is  gold  mining  of  consider- 
able extent,  but  that  which  strikes  one  most  is  the  timber, 
Port  Orford,  or  white  cedar,  yellow  fir,  spruce  and  along 
the  streams  myrtle,  maple  and  ash.  We  are  entering  the 
forests  that  have  made  Coos  bay,  Coquille  and  Port  Orford 
famous.  Along  the  Sixes  are  occasional  farms  that  have 
been  made  in  the  vine  maple  and  myrtle  flats  where  the 
heavier  fir,  spruce  and  cedar  were  not  in  the  way.  The 
soil  is  excellent  and  for  miles  and  miles  we  travel  over  an 
almost  level  country  that  sometime  in  the  future,  when 
the  timber  shall  have  been  cut  away  and  the  ground  cleared 


m  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

for  cultivation,  will  become  a  wonderfully  rich  agricultural 
region.  We  come  to  Flora's  creek  and  find  quite  a  settle- 
ment, the  people  generally  engaged  in  dairying.  In  this 
vicinity  are  lakes  and  marshes  that  furnish  fine  pasturage 
and  meadow  lands  and  are  also  great  places  for  ducks  and 
geese.  This  is  a  sportsman's  paradise.  After  passing 
Flora's  creek  a  few  miles  we  come  to  the  beach  again  hav- 
ing left  Cape  Blanco  behind,  and  for  eight  miles  enjoy  the 
ride  on  the  surf  beaten  sand  at  low  tide  and  watch  the 
breakers  rolling  in.  Often  they  come  so  far  up  on  the 
beach  that  the  water  almost  reaches  the  wagon  box.  A 
short  way  out  we  can  watch  the  sea  lions  swimming  high 
on  the  rollers  and  watching  us  with  apparent  curiosity. 
On  the  beach  we  pass  New  river,  so  called  because  now 
and  then  the  drifting  sands  cause  it  to  change  its  course 
and  sometimes  they  dam  it  up  entirely,  forming  a  lake 
back  of  the  sand  dunes;  another  great  duck  shooting  field. 
A  few  miles  further  on  we  leave  the  beach  and  drive  :: 
couple  of  miles  across  the  sand  hills  to  Bandon  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Coquille  river.  Our  trip  has  been  a 
delightful  one,  thanks  to  the  weather,  but  we  are  tired 
and  the  salt  air  has  contributed  to  give  us  a  ravenous  appe- 
tite. Here  we  find  good  accommodations  and  will  remain 
over  night  and  take  a  steam  boat  up  the  river  in  the 
morning. 


Chapter  XII. 
BANDON,  THE  COQUILLE  RIVER  AND  COOS  BAY* 

"I  have  heard  the  call  of  the  wind-swept  pine 

And  there  bides  no  rest  for  me; 
My  soul  is  drenGhed  with  clear  star-shine 

And  drunk  with  the  win  3  qj  the  sea.*' 

Bandon  is  situated  on  the  south  shore  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Coquille  river,  about  twenty  miles  below  Cape  Arago, 
which  is  just  off  the  entrance  to  Coos  Bay.  At  this  writing 
the  town  is  grown  to  considerable  importance.  It  has  a 
remarkably  picturesque  situation*  fine  beach  and  rocks  just 
off  shore  where  thousands  of  seals  and  sea  lions  Congregate 
during  the  season  when  they  seek  the  company  of  each 
other.  No  place  on  the  coast  furnishes  a  better  opportun- 
ity for  studying  these  interesting  animals.  I  have  seen 
thousands  of  them  on  and  about  these  rocks  at  a  time. 
The  seal  rock  at  San  Francisco  do  not  compare  with  these 
in  the  numbers  of  sea  lions  that  frequent  them.  This  is 
coming  to  be  a  place  of  summer  resort  for  frequenters  of 
the  sea  side,  and  when  railroad  communication  shall  have 
been  completed  with  the  interior  it  will  doubtless  become 
one  of  the  most  popular  resorts  on  the  coast  of  Oregon. 
The  high  headland  affords  a  fine  outlook  seaward,  the 
broad  river  mouth  which  constitutes  the  harbor  extends 
miles  inland,  the  bar  is  directly  in  front  and  the  rolling 
Pacific  in  its  boundless  energy  dashes  upon  the  rocks  and 
lashes  the  beach  with  a  never  ending  roar.  The  town-site 
is  an  unduiating  table-land  about  one  hundred  feet  above 
the  tide  and  extends  inland  as  such  for  several  miles,  grad- 
ually ascending  to  the  foot  of  the  mountains.  The  soil 
is  sandy  and  has  been  built  by  the  action  of  the  surf  and 
wind.  This  tableland  is  covered  with  a  stunted  growth 
of  spruce  and  cedar  which  is  very  ornamental  but  of  little 
use  except  for  firewood  and  fencing  materials.  A  mile  or 
two  inland  are  evidences  that  the  continent  is  expanding 
here,  as  elsewhere  along  the  shore  of  the  Pacific.  These 
evidences  consist  of  great  depths  of  beach  sand  and  shells 
with  drift  wood  such  as  we  now  see  gathering  along  the 
beach.  The  country  lying  between  the  Coquille  and  Coos 
Bay  is  a  peninsula  extending  inland  for  several  miles  and 
consisting  of  marine  drift.        One  studying  it  closely  would 


m  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  time  was  when  all  of  tin's 
peninsula  was  a  bay  and  has  been  filled  with  the  wash  and 
drift  from  the  ocean  and  the  Old  Island,  aided  by  the  up- 
ward movement  of  the  coast  line  and  the  drifting  sands 
that  are  constantly  moving  along  the  shore.  Miles  back 
in  this  peninsula  beach  drift  shows  plentifully  where  ero- 
sion has  cut  deep  channels  through  itr  or  where,  in  digging 
wells,  or  mining  for  coal  the  drifts  are  uncovered.  The 
peninsula  is  practically  level,  at  least  the  hills  are 
not  high  enough  to  be  dignified  by  the  term  mountains,  and 
much  of  it  is  level.  The  inequalities  are  not  greatly  differ- 
ent in  contour  or  proportions  from  the  moving  sand  dunes 
that  are  being  constantly  built  up  and  torn  down  along  the 
ocean  shore  by  the  action  of  the  winds.  All  of  this  penin- 
sula is  covered  with  a  wondrous  growth  of  yellow  fir  (called 
Oregon  pine),  spruce  and  gigantic  Port  Orford  cedar.  I 
measured  one  cedar  tree  that  had  been  blown  down,  which 
measured  sixteen  feet  in  diameter  twenty  feet  from  the 
ground,  was  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high  and 
almost  two  hundred  feet  without  a  knot  or  a  limb.  This 
was,  of  course,  an  unusually  large  one.  There  are  many 
arms  and  indentations  reaching  into  the  peninsula  from  the 
bay  that  afford  good  facilities  for  logging.  Around  the 
edges  of  these  indentations  and  along  the  numerous  streams 
that  run  through  the  forest  are  dense  growths  of  myrtle, 
maple,  vine-maple,  hazel  and  ash.  Sometimes  areas  of 
many  acres  are  covered  with  rhododendron  with  its  ever 
green  leaves  and  remarkable  red  and  purple  bloom,  large 
as  large  roses  and  as  beautiful,  a  more  cheery  sight  can 
not  well  be  imagined.  The  ever  present  fern  also  grows 
in  rank  profusion.  The  dense  undergrowth  is  tied  and 
matted  together  with  wild  blackberry  vines  that  produce 
quantities  of  luscious  fruit  where  the  sun  has  a  chance  to 
sweeten  it.  Salal  and  salmon  berries  also  grow  in  great 
quantities. 

Having  taken  a  casual  glance  at  the  country  lying 
within  the  peninsula,  we  will  leave  it  for  a  time  and  recur 
to  it  again,  giving  now  brief  observation  to  the  beautiful 
river  and  the  country  lying  along  it.  First,  however,  I 
wish  to  pay  a  tribute  to  the  excellent  hotel  accommodations 
to  be  had  at  Bandon,  which  has  for  several  years  been  fos- 
tering the  growth  of  her  summer  resort  business.  In  its 
improvement  it  has  its  newspaper,  excellent  schools,  several 
hotels,  some  manufacturing  and,  lying  as  it  does  at  the 
mouth  of  a  harbor  second  only  to  Coos  Bay,  with  a  navig- 
able river  upon  which  boats  ascend  to  Myrtle  Point,  forty 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.       99 

"miles  inland  by  the  course  of  the  stream,  navigable  also  for 
coasting  schooners  of  fair  size  to  Coquille  City  twenty  miles 
up  stream,  all  of  which  tend  to  give  assurance  of  future 
importance.  The  government  has  for  many  years  been 
Quite  generous  in  its  appropriations  for  the  Coquille  and 
the  bar  has  been  greatly  improved.  Tugs  are  kept  here 
to  accommodate  the  vessels  that  frequent  the  port  and  it  is 
not  unusual  to  see  several  ocean  craft  lying  at  anchor  in 
the  harbor  at  one  time. 

For  several  miles  the  river  varies  from  one  to  two 
miles  in  width  and  salmon  canneries  and  saw  mills  are  seen 
&t  frequent  intervals  along  its  shores.  Ship  yards  where 

vessels  are  built  also  occur  and  no  country  in  the  world 
affords  finer  timber  for  the  construction  of  water  craft. 
It  constitutes  one  of  the  great  businesses  of  both  Coquille 
and  Coos  Bay.  Ships  that  were  built  at  Coos  Bay  are  now 
navigating  the  waters  of  all  parts  of  the  world.  Spars  and 
ships  knees,  planking  and  finishing  lumber  for  ship-building 
are  shipped  hence  to  the  Atlantic  shores  and  to  foreign 
countries.  Moving  on  up  the  Coquille  the  most  phlegmatic 
will  be  struck  with  the  beauty  of  the  stream,  After  the 
lower  expansion  it  drops  to  a  width  varying  from  a  few 
hundred  feet  to  half  a  mile,  its  shores  everywhere  bordered 
with  myrtle  timber,  among  the  most  beautiful  and  decora- 
tive trees  that  grow.  These  trees  have  bodies  that  some- 
times measure  four  or  five  feet  in  diameter.  As  a  rule 
they  branch  out  rather  low  and  their  great  spreading  tops 
and  ever-green  leaves  overhang  the  pellucid  stream  as  if 
admiring  a  reflection  of  their  own  beauty.  I  have  never 
steamed  along  between  those  splendily  shaded  banks  that 
I  have  not  caught  myself  humming  ''The  Blue  Juanita.*' 
Nothing  is  more  soothingly  pleasant  to  me  than  a  ride,  in 
good  weather,  on  the  deep,  quiet  waters  of  the  Coquille^ 
this  water  boulevard,  bordered  with  these  beautiful,  aro- 
matic trees  that  seem  to  reach  out  their  branches  as  if  to 
extend  their  protecting  shade  across  its  whole  surface. 
Every  now  and  then  our  little  steamer  sounds  its  whistle 
and  rounds  into  a  landing  fixed  under  the  shade  of  a  great 
tree.  Men,  women  and  children  flock  to  the  landing,  mail 
is  discharged,  perhaps  some  freight  put  on*  or  taken  on, 
a  few  words  exchanged,  we  cast  off  and  are  soon  moving 
on  watching  the  trees  and  noticing  the  salmon  that  are 
jumping  here  and  there  making  great  circles  Of  ripples  on 
the  water.  There  is  a  margin  of  greater  or  less  extent  of 
the  finest  agricultural  land  along  both  shores  clear  up  to 
Myrtle  Point  and  many  fine  farms  have  been  made.        The 


100  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

bottom  lands  along  the  river,  in  fact  along  all  the  streams 
in  this  section  of  the  country,  are  very  rich  and  will  pro- 
duce everything  that  is  suited  to  the  climate — fruit,  veget- 
ables and  all  kinds  of  hay.  Grain  does  not  do  so  well  on 
account  of  the  prevailing  moisture  which  causes  rust  and 
prevents  the  grain  from  maturing.  Much  of  these  bottom 
lands  have  been  cleared  of  the  myrtle,  maple  and  ash  and 
the  other  growths  that  have  been  described.  The  dense- 
ness  of  these  growths  makes  the  clearing  of  a  farm  a  long 
and  laborious  task  but  when  completed  the  happy  owner 
has  a  little  kingdom  all  of  his  own. 

For  furniture  and  fine  finishing  work  there  is  no  timber 
that  will  excel  the  myrtle,  birds-eye  maple,  ash  and  white 
cedar  burl,  all  of  which  are  produced  here  in  great  abund- 
ance. It  is  sad,  however  to  see  the  waste  of  these  splendid 
materials.  In  clearing  up  a  farm  these  trees  are  cut, 
rolled  into  heaps  and  burned  to  get  them  out  of  the  way. 
Some  of  us  remember  this  same  kind  of  wastefulness  that 
years  ago  prevailed  in  parts  of  the  Mississippi  valley  with 
reference  to  the  walnut,  maple  and  wild  cherry  that  were 
treated  in  the  same  way.  Now  half  a  dozen  of  these  great 
logs  of  walnut  that  were  thus  destroyed  would  bring  enough 
money  to  buy  a  modest  farm.  The  value  of  this  timber 
was  not  appreciated  until  it  was  gone.  Even  the  few 
remaining  stumps  are  being  dug  up  and  sold  at  big  prices 
to  be  worked  into  veneering.  Nothing  makes  a  finer  ven- 
eer than  the  myrtle.  It  is  so  limited,  however,  that  with- 
in a  few  years  the  timber  that  is  being  destroyed,  if  saved, 
would  bring  more  than  the  land  upon  which  it  grew.  I 
have  seen  some  of  the  finest  furniture  and  inside  finishings 
in  ships'  cabins  made  from  the  myrtle.  The  finest  exhibit 
at  the  Lewis  and  Clark  Exposition  at  Portland  came  from 
Coos  and  consisted  of  these  woods.  They  may  still  be 
seen  at  the  forestry  building  at  the  exhibition  grounds. 
I  have  seen  a  schooner  load  of  Port  Orford  cedar  consisting 
of  five  hundred  thousand  feet,  loaded  at  Coquille,  no  board 
of  which  was  less  than  two  inches  thick,  two  feet  wide  and 
twenty  feet  long  and  not  a  knot  in  the  whole  cargo.  Such 
lumber  at  that  time  (1883),  brought,  in  the  rough  at  San 
Francisco,  sixty  dollars  a  thousand.  Thousands  of  cords 
of  this  cedar  was  cut  and  sold  at  fifteen  to  twenty  dollars 
a  cord  at  the  wharf,  to  be  used  in  the  manufacture  of  match- 
es. 

Twenty-five  miles  from  Bandon  we  reach  Coquille  City, 
the  county  seat  of  Coos  county.  This  town  is  well  sit- 
uated having  an  excellent  country  surrounding  it  and  is  the 


AND   MARBLE   HALLS   OF  OREGON.  101 

head  of  navigation  of  ocean  going  vessels  on  the  Coquille 
river.  Here  freight  is  taken  for  the  coasting  trade  and 
for  the  Sandwich  islands.  Many  of  these  schooners  voyage 
hence  to  the  coast  of  South  America.  The  hills  about 
Coquille  city  are  not  high,  but  as  a  rule  are,  or  have  been 
heavily  timbered.  The  soil  is  a  rich  clay  and  when  the 
timber  is  taken  off  and  the  stumps  burned  out  will  produce 
great  crops.  These  old  logged  off  areas  are  generally 
allowed  to  grow  up  with  the  ordinary  dense  growths  that  I 
have  described,  which  are  sometimes  kept  down  by  pastur- 
ing with  sheep,  goats  and  cattle,  and  when  so  pastured 
they  become  excellent  grazing  lands,  for  clover  and  a  kind 
of  blue  grass  spring  up  spontaneously  and  grow  luxuriantly. 
There  are  many  clearings  and  farms  where  the  forests  once 
stood,  and  the  area  so  reduced  is  growing  rapidly  from 
year  to  year.  From  Coquille  City  it  is  about  a  dozen  miles 
to  the  northwest  to  Marshfield  and  the  two  are  connected 
by  rail.  Marshfield  has  for  many  years  been  the  principal 
city  of  the  Coos  country.  Its  claim  to  that  distinction  is 
now  being  strongly  contested  by  North  Bend,  which  is  sit- 
uated three  or  four  miles  further  down  the  bay  to  the 
north.  If  we  were  to  return  down  the  river  four  or  five 
miles  from  Coquille  City,  we  would  notice  prairie  to  the 
north  from  which  a  stream  flows  into  the  river.  That  is 
Beaver  slough  and  consists  of  five  or  six  thousand  acres  that 
some  years  ago  came  under  the  designation  of  swamp  and 
overflowed  land.  As  such  it  went  to  the  state  and  was 
disposed  of  at  one  dollar  per  acre,  twenty  cents  per  acre  to 
be  paid  down  and  the  other  eighty  cents  to  be  paid  on 
proof  of  reclamation  by  drainage,  at  which  time  a  deed 
would  be  made  by  the  state.  Land  grabbing  under  this 
land  law  furnishes  one  of  the  rankest  chapters  of  grafting 
in  the  history  of  Oregon.  This  Beaver  slough  tract  is 
one  of  the  finest  bodies  of  land  to  be  found  anywhere,  and 
so  far  as  I  know  it  has  never  been  reclaimed.  A  dyke 
along  the  river  and  a  tide  gate  at  the  mouth  of  the  slough, 
a  little  ditching,  tiling,  and  clearing  of  brush  and  this 
tract  would  be  worth  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars.  It 
extends  back  from  the  river  four  or  five  miles  and  the  tide 
which  runs  up  the  river  enters  it  and  runs  almost  to  the 
head  of  the  slough.  There  are  a  great  many  smaller 
bodies  of  such  land  along  the  many  sloughs  that  run  back 
into  the  country  from  Coos  bay  and  Coquille  river,  that  will 
sometime  become  the  most  valuable  lands  in  the  country. 
These  sloughs  have  the  advantage  of  gathering  in  the  de- 
pressions where  they  lie,  the  very  cream  of  the  higher  sur- 


102  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

rounding  country,  which  in  time  becomes  very  deep.  Such 
tracts  are  world  beaters  for  clover,  red  top,  timothy  and 
other  grasses;  the  most  alluring  spots  for  dairymen.  They 
will  also  produce  anything  that  can  be  raised  in  that  climate, 
which  means  a  great  deal. 

From  the  head  of  Beaver  slough  to  the  head  of  Coos 
bay,  is  about  five  miles  and  is  designated  as  "The  Isthmus." 
The  country  between  is  somewhat  elevated  and  covered  with 
timber  and  at  the  head  of  the  bay  is  an  old  coal  mining* 
town  called  Utter  City  to  which  steam  boats  on  the  bay 
run  daily.  From  this  point  the  course  of  the  bay  is  almost 
north  for  about  twelve  miles  to  North  Bend  where  it  turns 
abruptly  to  the  southwest  for  about  eight  miles  and  enters 
the  ocean.  The  town  of  North  Bend  is  on  the  south  and 
west  shore  of  the  bay  and  opposite  to  North  slough  which 
comes  in  from  the  north  and  covers  another  area  of  so- 
called  swamp  and  overflowed  land.  This  area  abounds  in 
little  lakes  and  channels  that  afford  the  finest  fishing  and 
duck  shooting,  and  around  it  is  good  land  and  some  good 
timber.  Four  miles  back,  up  the  bay  from  North  Bend 
and  on  the  same  shore  is  Marshfield.  Two  miles  south 
from  Marshfield  and  near  the  head  of  coal  mine  slough,  is 
New  Port,  where  are  located  the  coal  mines  of  Coos  county. 
Ocean  vessels  load  coal  at  the  wharfs  at  New  Port  and 
its  shipment  has  been  one  of  the  chief  industries  of  the 
Coos  country  for  the  past  fifty  years.  These  are  practically 
the  only  coal  mines  being  operated  in  the  state.  The  coal, 
while  not  an  anthracite,  is  excellent  for  all  uses  required. 
The  coal  field  is  extensive  and  thousands  of  acres  of  coal 
lands  have  been  gobbled  up  under  the  guise  of  homesteads 
and  pre-emptions,  another  field  in  which  the  United  States 
has  been  defrauded  of  large  tracts  of  land.  It  is  probable 
that  the  statutes  of  limitation  have  run  against  these  frauds. 
Four  miles  below  North  Bend  and  on  the  same  shore  of  the 
bay,  is  Empire  City,  for  many  years  the  county  seat  and 
principal  town.  The  Custom  House  is  here,  and  back  in 
the  '80s  an  extensive  lumbering  establishment  was  laid  our 
at  Empire  and  a  magnificent  mill  erected.  It  did  indiffer- 
ent work,  however,  and  in  a  few  years  was  dismantled,  and 
the  old  town  presents  a  very  dilapidated  appearance.  »  It 
is  the  port  of  entry,  occupies  a  beautiful  and  romantic  site, 
overlooking  the  lower  bay  and  having  a  view  of  the  surf 
for  ten  miles  up  the  coast.  I  remember  with  keen  pleasure 
the  almost  four  years  I  spent  at  Empire  and  feel  sad  at  the 
•  decay  of  the  old  town.  North  Bend,  Marshfield  and  Co- 
quille  City  are  forging  ahead  and  the  first  two  are  sites  of 


AND   MARBLE   MALLS  OF  OREGON.  103 

great  lumbering  operations  and  shipbuilding.  About  half 
way  between  North  Bend  and  Marshfield  and  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  bay  Coos  river  enters.  This  stream  is 
navigable  for  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  and  is  bordered  with 
fine  farms  and  a  thrifty  population.  Other  hamlets  dot 
the  shores  of  the  bay  and  other  settlements  have  appropriat- 
ed eligible  sites  further  inland  and  in  the  mountains.  This 
little  bay  affords  an  interesting  and  lively  appearance.  Its 
people  are  largely  from  Maine,  Massachusetts  and  other 
northeastern  states.  Many  of  them  have  been  reared  to 
a  seafaring  life  and  many  more  come  from,  the  Maine  woods. 
The  manners  are  essentially  of  the  New  England  type  and 
the  people  are  noted  for  their  generosity  and  hospitality  so 
characteristic  of  the  country  from  whence  they  hail.  Many 
are  from  Boston  and  never  allow  you  to  depart  without 
impressing  that  fact  on  you.  But  they  are  good  people 
and  no  more  enjoyable  time  could  be  had  than  at  a  New 
England  clam-bake  and  celebration  at  Coos  bay. 

Among  the  sources  of  sport  and  recreation  nothing 
could  be  more  enjoyable  than  a  trip  of  a  week's  camping 
up  Coos  river  angling  for  the  speckled  beauties  in  which  its 
waters  abound;  or  a  day  at  Cape  Arago  lighhouse  on  the 
island;  or  a  saunter  on  the  beach  in  good  weather; 
or  fishing  for  tom-cod  from  a  small  boat  with  a  dozen  hooks 
on  your  line  and  sometimes  getting  a  fish  on  every  hook 
at  a  single  throw;  or  spearing  flounders  at  night  from  a 
boat  by  the  light  of  pitch-wood  torches,  or  even  lounging 
around  the  jetty,  catching  rock  cod  with  a  long  line  and 
heavy  weight,  or  lying  under  the  shade  of  a  spruce  tree 
on  the  headland  looking  off  at  the  gently  rolling  billows, 
gathering  clams  at  low  tide,  or  catching  crabs  with  a  garden 
rake.  All  these  are  sources  of  pleasure  such  as  having  once 
been  enjoyed  will  never  be  forgotten.  Then  again,  when 
storms  are  on  and  friends  are  out  on  the  water;  when  the 
surf  rises  as  it  scarcely  does  anywhere  else  in  the  world, 
until  its  pounding  on  the  beach  shakes  the  ground  where 
you  stand  and  rattles  your  windows  in  the  dead  of  night. 
When  Old  Boreas  is  on  the  rampage  many  weird  sounds  are 
heard  and  many  creepy  apprehensions  aroused.  One  having 
grown  familiar  with  such  things  would  not  guess  long  at 
the  peculiar  craving  of  the  sandstone  cliffs  along  the  sides 
of  Grizzly  mountain.  Here,  then,  and  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Coquille  and  at  Port  Orford,  we  have  harbors,  perhaps  the 
only  ones  of  the  Old  Island  where  the  sea  is  operating  much 
in  the  same  way  it  did  when  the  beach  lines  we  traced  on 
the  sides  of  Grizzly  were  being  buffeted  by  the  billows  of 


104  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

this  same  ocean.  Here  we  have  found  and  entered  deeply 
into  the  coal  mines,  now  on  a  level  of  the  sea,  that  in  their 
forming  belonged  to  the  same  date  with  the  dposits  we 
find  near  Siskiyou  station  four  thousand  feet  above  the  sea 
and  more  than  two  hundred  miles  away.  We  would  not 
expect  to  find  fossils  belonging  to  the  creatceous  era 
along  this  beach  where  the  ocean  has  been  continuously 
in  action  during  all  that  period  of  time  described  in  the 
earlier  chapters  of  this  little  volume,  and  we  do  not  find 
them. 

Cape  Arago  extends  for  some  miles  out  to  sea  from 
the  south  side  of  the  entrance  to  Coos  bay,  and  terminates 
in  an  island  on  which  the  Government  lighthouse  and  life 
saving  station  are  established.  The  .mainland  at  this 
point  is  a  promontory  from  which  a  splendid  view  is  ob- 
tained to  the  limit  of  vision  up  and  down  the  coast.  The 
island  is  from  half  to  three  quarters  of  a  mile  in  length 
and  at  its  widest  part  is  only  a  few  hundred  feet  across 
Near  its  middle  it  is  almost  cut  in  two  by  the  action  of  the 
sea  and  a  hole  has  been  cut  through  it  almost  large  enough 
to  sail  a  good-sized  schooner  through.  This  opening  is 
arched  over  affording  a  natural  bridge  over  which  the 
light-keeper  passes  from  his  residence  to  the  lighthouse. 
At  this  point  the  island  is  so  narrow  that  before  a  walk 
and  railing  were  put  over  it  the  keeper  had  to  crawl  on 
his  hands  and  knees  on  stormy  nights  in  fear  of  being 
blown  off  the  island.  This  island  is  fifty  or  sixty  feet 
high  and  the  sides  are  vertical  to  the  surf  and  are  solid 
sandstone  cut  and  carved  as  is  usual  in  such  places.  The 
lighthouse  stands  at  the  outer  extremity  of  the  island  and 
is  about  eighty  feet  high.  Notwithstanding  the  elevation 
the  lenses  are  often  incrusted  with  salt  from  the  spray  that 
is  dashed  against  them  during  hard  storms.  Still  beyond 
the  island  a  reef  extends  and  at  its  outer  point  is  a  whist- 
ling buoy  whose  hoarse  bellowing  can  be  heard  miles  inland 
when  the  wind  is  favorable.  Still  beyond  the  buoy  the 
reef  extends  covered  by  several  fathoms  of  water  where  cod 
and  halibut  fishing  furnish  recreation  and  profit  when  the 
sea  is  sufficiently  smooth  to  permit  it.  The  island  is  con- 
nected with  the  mainland  by  a  suspension  bridge  two  or 
three  hundred  feet  long.  At  low  tide  there  is  not  much 
water  in  the  channel  but  when  the  tide  is  full  and  a  south- 
west gale  is  blowing,  the  sea  rushes  through  it  with  fearful 
volume  and  force.  The  life-saving  station  is  located  on 
the  island  also  and  on  the  shore  of  this  channel 
the  life-boat  must  be  launched,  a  wild  operation  in  a  rough 


AND  MARBLE   HALLS  OP  OREGON.  105 

sea.  Tne  writer  had  an  experience  here  in  1883  which  will 
be  remembered  as  the  adventures  of  a  lifetime.  As  it  will, 
in  my  judgment  aid  us  in  the  nature  study  we  have  been  pur- 
suing I  will  give  it. 

The  occasion  was  the  wreck  of  the  new  steel  steamer 
Tacoma  bound  south  from  Puget  Sound  with  her  first  cargo 
of  coal,  carrying  5  000  tons  and  trying  to  make  a  record 
trip.  I  was  collector  of  customs  at  the  port  and  ex-officio 
had  some  duties  in  regard  to  the  life-saving  service,  which 
at  that  time  only  maintained  a  keeper  but  no  crew,  a  volun- 
teer crew  being  depended  on  in  case  of  an  emergency.  Late 
one  evening  a  man  in  oil  skins  and  sou-wester  appeared  at 
the  office  and  excitedly  announced  that  the  steam  ship 
Tacoma  had  gone  ashore  above  the  mouth  of  the  Umpqua. 
twenty  miles  to  the  north  and  was  being  hammered  to 
pieces  on  the  sands.  She  had  a  crew  of  fifty  men  and  a 
few  passengers  and  no  means  of  getting  ashore  except  by 
making  rafts  of  deck  wreckage,  the  boats  having  been 
stoven  and  broken.  There  was  a  fearful  storm  raging  and 
the  messenger  had  been  sent  down  the  beach  to  get  the 
Cape  Arago  life-boat.  I  at  once  set  about  to  gather  a 
volunteer  crew.  Several  vessels  lay  in  the  harbor  but  the 
sailors  were  loth  to  leave  their  snug  berths  for  so  strenuous 
a  service.  I  succeeded  in  getting  enough  to  promise  to 
man  the  boat,  but  inasmuch  as  a  tug  would  have  to  accom- 
pany it  to  the  scene  of  the  wreck,  and  neither  the  life-boat 
nor  tug  could  be  taken  out  until  high  tide,  which  would  not 
occur  until  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  it  was  pro- 
posed that  I  should  take  another  crew  to  launch  the  life- 
boat and  meet  the  tug  off  the  bar  at  that  hour  and  the 
volunteer  crew  would  come  out  with  the  tug  and  take 
charge.  I  gathered  up  eight  men,  most  of  whom  were  safe 
men  for  such  an  enterprise,  and  at  dusk  we  set  out  on  foot 
for  the  station  eight  miles  away.  It  was  a  stormy  blustery 
night  and  we  had  to  cross  south  slough  (almost  a  mile 
wide)  in  a  rickety  small  boat,  which  we  accomplished  with- 
out accident.  Pitchy  darkness  had  now  set  in  and  when 
we  reacned  the  station  the  waves  were  beating  upon  the 
island  with  such  force  that  it  shook  and  quivered  as  if  in 
danger  of  being  washed  away.  We  could  do  nothing  until 
the  tide  was  well  in,  hence  employed  ourselves  with  loosen- 
ing the  hatches  of  the  boat  house,  which  was  built  in  a 
bight  of  the  channel  shore  and  stood  on  piling  above  the 
narrow  beach  from  which  we  had  to  lower  the  boat  to  the 
sands.  The  boat  had  never  before  been  taken  out  and  the 
hatches  and  tackle  having  been  kept  painted  were  stiff  anc 


106  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

hard  to  handle.  The  boat  was  a  splendid  specimen  of  that 
class  of  craft  and  with  its  cargo  of  necessary  accoutrements 
was  heavy.  By  midnight  we  had  the  boat  on  the  beach 
with  life-line,  cannon  to  shoot  the  line,  life  preservers,  etc.. 
all  stowed  away  and  ready  to  push  off  so  soon  as  the  tide 
should  serve.  It  was  yet  four  hours  before  we  could  expect 
the  tug  to  heave  in  sight  which  would  be  about  day-light. 
We  could  do  nothing  but  wait  and  think  of  the  imperiled 
men  twenty  miles  away.  The  storm  was  gradually  increas- 
ing and  the  roaring  of  the  surf  and  the  shaking  of  the 
island  was  calculated  to  disturb  weak  nerves.  The  clouds 
were  flying  overhead  like  frightened  gulls  and  occasional 
gusts  brought  snow  and  rain.  Surf  was  thrown  completely 
over  the  island  and  even  dashed  against  the  lenses  of  the 
light  more  than  one  hundred  feet  above  low  tide.  As  the 
time  drew  near  for  manning  the  boat,  our  faces  when  shown 
by  the  light  of  the  lantern  exhibited  no  levity.  Desmond, 
the  keeper  of  the  station  and  ex-officio  captain  of  the  crew, 
appeared  to  be  nervous  and  frankly  admitted  that  our  un- 
dertaking was  a  perilous  one.  Charley  Getty,  George  Wil- 
son, Andrew  Jackson  and  the  others  whose  names  I  have 
forgotten  were  men  of  experience,  courage  and  good  judg- 
ment and  I  was  the  only  one  who  had  never  had  any  exper- 
ience in  the  surf.  My  initiation  promised  to  be  more  than 
ordinarily  interesting.  I  had  confidence  in  the  "boys"  and 
while  not  wholly  placid  I  put  on  the  best  face  I  cculd  and 
would  not  have  balked  under  any  circumstances.  As  the 
time  drew  near  we  examined  the  lashings,  put  on  our  life 
suits,  assumed  the  stations  assigned  to  us  and  "stood  by" 
reedy  to  receive  orders.  We  were  instructed  to  stand  at 
our  places  and  with  our  oars  on  the  sands  to  steady  the 
boat  and  when  word  should  be  given,  to  drop  to  our  seats 
and  shove  off.  The  boat's  nose  was  kept  ■  on  the  sands 
and  its  stern  out  toward  the  channel.  Just  to  the  south  of 
us  not  over  seventy-five  feet  away  was  a  dyke  reaching  out 
into  the  channel,  cutting  it  half  in  two  and 
standing  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  high.  Over  this  the 
sea  was  breaking  like  a  Niagara.  As  the  tide  rose  and  the 
boat  began  to  float  she  would  rise  to  the  swell  until  all 
hands  were  put  to  their  best  efforts  to  hold  it.  Then  it 
would  sink  back  until  it  rested  on  the  sands  again  only 
to  repeat  its  upward  and  downward  motion  time  and  time 
again.  We  were  drenched  to  the  skin,  the  channel  was  a 
seething  mass  of  foam,  and  the  roaring  surf  drowned  our 
voices  except  when  raised  to  the  highest  pitch.  Charly  Getty 
and   the   captain    each    manned    a    steering   oar   and    sat    in 


AND  MARBLE   HALLS  OF  OREGON.  107 

the  stern.  I  had  the  port  bow  oar  and  the  others  were 
arranged  in  their  places  when  the  command  was  given  to 
shove  off.  I  shall  never  forget  that  wild  plunge.  The 
seething  waters  caught  us  and  hurled  us  with  the  force  of 
a  catapult  under  the  suspension  bridge  and  out  into  the 
roaring  surf  beyond  the  island.  The  water  was  breaking 
in  thirty  fathoms  and  the  waves  were  rolling  tumultously. 
Great  combers  glowing  with  phosphorescent  light  seemed 
miles  in  length.  As  a  huge  breaker  rose  before  us  the 
order  to  back  on  our  oars  was  obeyed  with  alacrity  and  we'd 
back  away  from  it  until  it  broke  and  then  rush  forward 
again  into  the  foam  and  swirl.  And  thus,  for  two  hours, 
we  backed  and  filled  among  breakers  that  are  noted  the 
world  over  for  their  violence  and  volume.  The  cannon 
broke  its  lashings  and  threatened  to  make  a  hole  through 
the  boat  in  its  wild  plunges  from  one  side  to  the  other. 
Two  men  were  ordered  to  haul  in  their  oars  and  secure  the 
gun.  They  could  hold  it  but  could  not  lash  it  and  the 
crew  was  weakened  by  losing  two  of  its  oarsmen.  The 
captain  turned  us  toward  a  bight  in  the  island  for  the  pur- 
pose of  running  ashore  and  "trimming  ship."  As  we  near- 
ed  the  beach  the  port  bow  oar  was  ordered  to  "stand  by" 
and  take  a  line  ashore  as  soon  as  her  nose  should  strike 
the  sand.  That  order  was  for  me.  I  drew  in  my  oar. 
caught  up  the  line  and  standing  in  the  bow  made  ready  to 
jump  as  soon  as  I  should  feel  the  boat  strike.  The  momeni 
came  just  after  a  great  roller  had  drawn  back  to  sea  and 
the  succeeding  one  was  coming  in.  I  plunged  forward 
into  the  water  waist  deep  only  to  be  caught  by  the  incoming 
roller  which  was  not  less  than  ten  or  fifteen  feet  high.  Ii 
caught  me  up  and  threw  me  forward  fully  fifty  feet.  i 
was  completely  submerged  but  fortunately  retained  presence 
of  mind  enough  to  hold  onto  my  line,  dig  my  heels  into  tht 
sand  and  throw  myself  head  first  toward  the  shore.  Tht 
returning  roller  left  us  high  and  dry  on  the  beach  and  all 
hands  were  ordared  to  secure  our  cargo.  The  tug  had  no? 
yet  come  in  sight  and  as  we  were  again  on  the  island  and 
not  far  away  from  the  station  the  captain  made  an  excuse  t( 
go  there  for  something.  We  put  everything  in  trim  and 
waited  for  the  captain,  knowing  that  the  tug  would  sooi; 
come  over  the  bar  and  whisle  for  us.  After  half  an  hour 
and  no  captain  I  took  another  man  and  went  to  the  station 
to  ascertain  the  cause  of  delay.  We  found  him  snugl: 
esconsed  by  his  stove  and  in  answer  to  us  he  declared  tha: 
all  the  money  in  Christendom  would  not  induce  him  to  g<« 
out  in  that  surf  again.       Here  was  a  problem.       A  man  wh( 


108  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

claimed  to  have  been  at  sea  all  his  life  and  who  had  been 
intrusted  with  the  responsibilities  of  life-saving  keeper,  on 
the  first  occasion  of  his  services  being  called  for,  and  in 
the  most  critical  moment  showing  the  white  feather  when 
his  crew  of  volunteers  were  clamoring  to  do  this  act  of 
humanity  and  mercy.  We  begged,  entreated  and  finally 
threatened,  but  all  to  no  purpose.  Going  out  a^ain  we 
saw  the  tug  a  mile  away  and  by  the  steam  from  her 
whistle,  knew  that  she  was  blowing  for  us.  We  secured 
another  (smaller  boat),  from  the  light-keeper,  a  boat  that 
leaked  badly,  and  sent  two  men  off  to  the  tug  to  announce 
the  situation  and  ask  the  captain  to  send  the  tug's  boat  in 
with  the  crew  that  had  volunteered  and  we  would  meet 
them  with  the  life-boat.  This  the  captain  refused  to  do. 
The  trip  out  in  the  little  leaky  boat  in  such  a  surf  was  a 
very  dangerous  mission,  but  these  two  were  very  brave 
men,  and  it  was  our  purpose  to  try  and  take  the  boat  out 
to  them  ourselves  when  we  saw  with  astonishment,  the  tug 
turn  deliberately  in  and  disappear  over  the  bar.  It  looked 
like  a  shocking  piece  of  cowardice  in  all  concerned.  We 
knew,  however,  that  the  captain  of  the  tug  was  no  coward, 
but  up  to  this  day  there  has  been  no  satisfactory  explana- 
tion of  the  act.  All  on  board  the  steamer  Tacoma  were 
saved  by  fishermen,  except  eleven  who  clung  to  the  rigging 
until  the  ship  broke  in  two  and  keeled  over.  They  clung 
there  for  two  days  and  nights  and  being  benumbed  with 
cold,  half  starved,  half  drowned  and  completely  exhuasted, 
they  dropped  one  by  one,  were  washed  ashore  and  buried. 
The  fishermen  of  the  Umpqua  performed  such  feats  of  dar- 
ing and  mercy  us  we  sometimes  read  about  and  if  the  life- 
boat had  reached  the  wreck  every  life  might  have  been 
saved.  Desmond  ought  to  have  gone  to  prison  for  the  re- 
mainder of  his  natural  life,  but  as  it  was,  after  several 
days'  investigation,  he  was  simply  relieved  of  his  position. 
This  little  story  seems  hardly  apropos  to  the  purpose 
of  this  book,  but  it  tends  to  show  the  relentless  energy  of 
this  great  force,  that  since  the  waters  were  gathered  in  the 
hollows,  has  been  shaping  islands  and  continents  and 
(hanging  the  face  of  nature. 


Chapter  XIII. 

THE   SEA   IN   A   TEMPEST — THE   IMPQUA  RIVER   AND 
VALLEY. 

"The  breaking  billows  cast  the  flying  foam 

Upon  the  billows  rising — all  the  deep 

Is  restless  change — the  waves,  so  swelled  and  steep, 

Breaking  and  sinking;    *  *  * 

Curled  as  they  come,  they  strike  with  furious  force, 
****** 

Raking  the  rounded  flints,  which  ages  past 
Rolled  in  their  rage,  and  shall  for  ages  last." 

My  memory  is  a  storehouse  of  many  incidents  in  ex- 
perience and  associations  about  Coos  Bay,  fishing,  hunting 
and  boating.  Some  are  incidents  humorous,  incidents  sad, 
incidents  on  land  and  water;  incidents  political  and  others 
of  a  social  character  which,  while  the  narration  might  be 
made  entertaining  would  not  aid  the  purpose  of  this  vol- 
ume. I  will  therefore  pass  over  them  and  ask  the  reader 
to  accompany  me  up  the  beach  twenty  miles  to  the  Umpqua 
liver  by  stage,  thence  by  boat  to  Scottsburg,the  head  of  navi- 
gation on  that  stream,  from  whence,  by  stage  we  will  reach 
the  S.  P.  railroad  at  Drain  sixty-five  or  seventy  miles  in- 
land. I  will  select  one  of  the  many  trips  I  have  made 
over  that  route  and  give  it  in  narrative  form. 

During  the  winter  of  1S83-4  Gen.  J  M  Siglin  and  I  fixed 
a  date  to  go  out  in  company.  The  stages  that  were  driven 
up  the  beach  were  what  are  known  as  "beach  wagons." 
The  tires  are  very  broad  on  account  of  having  to  be  driven 
over  the  sands.  The  start  had  to  be  gauged  to  suit  the 
tide  for  our  drive  would  be  directly  on  the  beach,  from 
which,  if  we  were  caught  by  the  incoming  tide  we  would 
be  driven  into  the  sand  hills.  Our  start  was  just  before 
daybreak  from  Empire  where  the  bay  is  about  two  miles 
wide  and  had  to  be  crossed  in  a  small  boat,  the  stage  barn 
and  horses  being  on  the  other  side.  The  morning  was 
cold  and  stormy  and  a  heavy  sea  chopped  the  bay  into  a 
rough  boating  proposition.  Jarvis,  the  good-natured  driver 
and  proprietor  of  the  stage  line,  was  a  down-easter,  and 
knew  how  to  handle  a  boat.  We  were  on  hand  with  storm 
coats  and  full  conviction  that  we  would  have  a  rough  trip. 


110  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

The  boat  was  heavily  loaded  and  now  and  then  would  take 
in  a  sea  that  required  one  of  us  to  keep  bailing.  Spray 
was  constantly  blowing  over  us  and  by  the  time  we  had 
landed  at  the  barn  we  were  drenched  to  the  skin.  A  twenty 
mile  drive  up  the  beach  under  the  circumstances  was  not 
a  pleasant  experience  to  contemplate.  We  were  in  for  it 
however,  and  were  not  of  the  kind  to  "gig  back."  At  the 
barn  we  found  three  more  passengers  waiting  for  us;  two 
men  and  a  woman;  one  of  the  men  being  a  drummer. 
From  the  barn  there  was  a  drive  of  about  two  miles  over 
the  sand  dunes  before  we  reached  the  beach,  and  being  wet 
and  chilled  the  General  and  I  started  out  on  foot.  We 
reached  the  beach  and  traveled  along  it  two  or  three  miles 
before  the  stage  overtook  us.  The  weather  was  so  heavy 
and  thick  that  we  could  not  see  to  the  outer  breakers. 
The  wind  blew  a  perfect  gale  from  the  northwest  and  the 
waves  were  running  monstrously  high  and  when  they  struck, 
even  at  low  tide,  almost  covered  the  beach  to  the  sand 
hills.  If  the  tide  should  turn  before  we  reached  the  Ump- 
qua  we  were  sure  to  be  turned  off  the  beach,  which  would 
mean  a  wait  out  in  the  bleak  sand  dunes  until  the  tide 
should  ebb  again.  The  storm  had  been  on  for  two  or  three 
days  with  a  heavy  swell  running  in,  gaining  in  volume  and 
violence  as  the  storm  increased.  A  wilder  sight  can  not 
be  imagined  than  these  great  billows  breaking  a  mile  off 
shore  and  rushing  in  in  a  swishy  roar  in  acres  of  moving 
foam.  Many  kinds  of  sea  life  had  been  thrown  upon  the 
beach,  squid,  devilfish  and  great  jelly  fish  two  feet  across 
were  stranded,  wriggling  and  writhing  to  avoid  the  attacks 
of  sea  gulls,  fish  hawks  and  eagles  that  at  such  time  are 
attracted  in  large  numbers.  Some  of  the  devil  fish  (polype), 
were  three  feet  long  with  arms  two  feet  or  more  in  length 
provided  with  suckers  by  which  they  fasten  onto  and 
secure  their  prey.  They  are  vicious  looking  creatures  and 
are  well  named.  The  brute  has  a  beak  like  an  eagle's  and 
as  sharp  as  a  keen  edged  knife.  His  eyes  are  the  most 
vicious  looking  orbs  with  which  any  living  thing  has  been 
endowed,  and  in  his  native  element  is  not  a  desirable  crea- 
ture to  meet.  There  were  thousands  of  these.  The  day 
before  our  trip  the  driver  had  discovered  a  whale  about 
thirty-five  feet  long  that  had  ventured  too  close  to  shore 
and  had  been  thrown  out  by  the  surf.  He  appropriated  his 
find  and  afterwards  rendered  it  up  and  obtained  over  a 
thousand  dollars  worth  of  oil.  It  was  lying  on  the  beach  as 
we,  came  up  and  gave  us  an  excellent  opportunity  to  examine 
the  leviathan  at  close  quarters.        Sea  lions  are  sometimes 


AND  MARBLE   HALLS   OF  OREGON.  Ill 

thrown  ashore  in  this  way.  A  large  one  will  often  weigh 
a  ton  or  more  and  is  considered  a  valuable  find.  Four 
or  five  miles  before  reaching  the  Umpqua  river  Ten  Mile 
creek  has  to  be  crossed.  When  the  surf  is  low  and  the 
driver  can  venture  far  enough  out,  where  the  sands  are 
beaten  solid  by  the  waves,  the  crossing  is  safe,  but  when  the 
sea  is  running  as  we  found  it  it  is  necessary  to  keep  well 
up  on  the  beach  and  the  danger  is  that  one  will  get  into  the 
quick  sands.  That  was  our  misfortune  on  this  occasion. 
Our  progress  had  been  slow  and  the  tide  was  turning  when 
we  reached  the  stream  and  the  surf  prevented  us  from  keep- 
ing far  enough  out  to  avoid  the  danger.  These  sands  shift 
from  time  to  time  and  are  always  unsafe.  There  were 
five  passengers  and  the  driver  and  we  were  told  that  the 
crossing  did  not  look  safe  and  that  we  should  be  prepared 
to  take  to  the  water  if  things  went  wrong.  The  stream 
was  about  one  hundred  yards  wide  and  we  could  see  that 
a  strong  current  was  running  toward  the  middle  of  it  and 
that  it  was  thick  and  dark  with  moving  sand.  We  got 
along  all  right  until  we  approached  the  channel  where  the 
horses  commenced  to  sink  in  the  sand.  The  driver,  passing 
the  lines  to  the  drummer  sprang  out  and  called  the  General 
and  I  to  do  likewise.  We  jumped  into  the  water  waist  deep 
and  pushing  at  the  rear  end  of  the  wagon  assisted  the 
horses  who,  after  a  plunge  or  two,  went  into  the  newly  cut 
channel  in  water  that  ran  across  their  backs  and  they  were 
in  danger  of  being  washed  out  to  sea.  The  other  man  had 
jumped  out  as  we  did  and  was  also  pushing  at  the  end  of 
the  wagon.  As  it  went  into  swimming  water  he  held  on, 
Jarvis,  Siglin  and  I  let  go.  The  horses  after  some  swim- 
ming and  plunging  reached  the  opposite  bank  and  climbed 
out.  Our  friend  who  had  held  onto  the  wagon  trailed  over 
like  a  tar  bucket.  The  drummer  whipped  up  and  finally 
got  out  of  the  stream  leaving  three  of  us  on  the  other  side. 
Now  the  question  was  how  were  we  to  get  over.  We  did 
not  dare  to  stand  where  we  had  parted  with  the  wagon  for 
we  were  in  the  treacherous  sand,  and  by  the  time  we  had 
found  solid  footing  we  were  almost  out  of  hearing  from 
those  in  the  wagon,  the  surf  kept  up  such  a  roar.  Jarvis, 
however,  succeeded  in  making  them  understand  that  one 
of  them  was  to  bring  the  wagon  back  to  us,  keeping  as  far 
out  in  the  surf  as  possible.  The  drummer  balked,  but 
the  man  who  had  been  dragged  over  and  was  already  thor- 
oughly soaked,  and  being  a  man  of  courage,  took  the  lines, 
unloaded  the  woman  and  drummer  and  keeping  as  it  ap- 
peared dangerously  far  out  in  the  surf  succeeded  in  reaching 


112  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

us.  Returning  we  kept  as  far  out  as  we  dared  to,  and 
though  one  roller  broke  clear  over  the  wagon,  we  got  over 
and  had  a  race  with  the  tide  until  we  reached  near  enough 
to  the  Umpqua  river  to  make  it  safe  to  tackle  the  sand  hills. 
By  unloading  the  passengers  the  team  was  able  to  wallow 
through  the  loose  sand  to  the  boat  landing.  Through  it 
all  the  drummer  kept  cool  but  perspired  copiously  and  in 
good  Semitic  language,  embellished  with  commercial  jargon 
heaped  imprecations  on  the  whole  business.  One  must 
have  an  experience  of  this  kind  before  he  can  fully  appreciate 
what  the  strenuosity  of  a  twenty-mile  trip  directly  on  the 
Pacific  beach  means  on  a  windy,  wintry  day  just  at  the  tail 
end  of  a  long  storm  at  sea.  The  unceasing  clatter  of  gulls, 
the  screaming  of  fish-hawks  and  the  threatening  swoop  of 
great  eagles,  the  beach  lined  with  various  kinds  of  life  from 
its  depths,  swept  out  of  their  element,  the  constant  roar 
of  the  huge  billows,  and  sweep  of  the  surf  and  the  darkness 
— which  is  unlike  any  other  darkness  that  is  experienced 
with  old  Sol  overhead — gives  a  kind  of  uncanny  aspect  to 
everything. 

Our  little  steamer  lay  at  anchor  a  hundred  yards  off 
shore  just  in  the  mouth  of  the  river  bobbing  up  and  down 
in  the  rough  water  like  a  bob  on  a  trolling  line.  We  were 
taken  aboard  in  a  small  boat,  a  performance  that  never  fails 
to  unsteady  the  nerves  of  the  land-lubber,  in  such  weather. 
All  were  safely  put  aboard  and  the  little  propeller  turned 
its  head  up  river  into  the  bay  which  is  two  miles  wide 
and  where  the  seas  run  high  enough  to  induce  sea  sickness. 
About  six  miles  from  the  landing  we  rounded  into  the  wharf 
at  Gardiner,  a  saw-milling  and  salmon-canning  town.  The 
lumbering  business  here  is  the  chief  occupation,  although 
some  coastwise  traffic  in  freight  is  also  done.  Deep  sea 
craft  load  here  for  various  parts  of  the  world  and  some 
freight  to  the  interior  is  unloaded  here  and  products  from 
hence  shipped  away.  Splendid  forests  lie  back  of  the  town 
and  it  presents  a  lively  and  an  enterprising  appearance.  In 
the  early  dayo  freights  for  the  Umpqua  valley  and  other 
points  interior  was  unloaded  here  and  products 
from  hence  shipped  away.  From  this  point  naviga- 
tion is  good  for  something  over  2  0  miles  to  Scottsburg,  but 
not  above  that.  Many  years  ago  a  steamboat  was  taken  to 
Roseburg,  an  incident  intended  to  be  used  in  an  application 
to  Congress  for  an  appropriation  for  improvement  of  the 
river  to  that  point.  The  steamboat  failed  to  get  back,  and 
the  purpose  for  which  it  was  taken  there  failed  also.  From 
Gardiner  to  Scottsburg  the  river  is  very  interesting.        The 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.  113 

mountains  come  down  to  the  water  with  a  steep  even  slope, 
leaving  no  margin  for  settlement.  In  coming  up  the  river  on 
this  occasion  we  who  had  gotten  soaked  on  the  beach  spent 
most  of  our  time  in  trying  to  get  dry  in  the  engine  room. 
At  Scottsburg  we  remained  until  four  o'clock  the  next  morn- 
ing, when  we  boarded  the  stage  for  Drain,  thirty-six  miles 
away,  the  nearest  railroad  station.  In  good  weather  this  is 
a  delightful  ride,  but  at  that  time,  in  an  incessant  storm, 
muddy  roads  and  damp  clothing,  the  reader  can  imagine  that 
our  comfort  was  not  excessive.  The  road  runs  along  the 
lower  Umpqua  valley,  which  besides  being  very  rich  and 
productive,  lies  in  a  most  attractive  setting.  The  mount- 
ains break  away  on  either  hand  decorated  with  a  beautiful 
growth  of  oak,  maple,  ash,  cedar,  pine  and  fir.  The  valley 
has  splendid  growths  of  oak,  interspersed  among  the  farms, 
making  it  iook  like  a  park  with  the  beautiful  river  running 
sometimes  along  its  margin,  and  anon  through  its  middle. 
The  farms  and  improvements  are  all  well  kept,  the  orchards, 
gardens  and  stock  show  thrift  and  contentment.  From 
Elkton  to  Drain  is  fourteen  miles  over  a  mountain  of  mod- 
erate elevation,  a  part  of  the  time  along  the  side  of  a  very 
deep  canyon.  The  road  is  a  mere  bench  cut  around  the 
side  of  the  hill  at  a  dizzy  height  from  the  bottom  of  tin 
gorge.  The  driver,  like  most  of  stage  drivers,  liked  to 
indulge  in  the  stories  of  accidents  that  have  happened  from 
sliding  off  the  grade,  and  runaways  down  the  hill.  On 
this  occasion  he  entertained  us  with  an  incident  of  a  few 
weeks  before  that  happened  to  him.  He  had  as  passengers. 
ex-Governor  Whitaker  and  Judge  Kelsey,  both  well  known 
and  prominent  men  and  old  pioneers.  They  were  both 
great  jokers  and  well  acquainted,  but  like  many  other  jokert 
.could  not  relish  a  joke  on  themselves,  and  as  they  had  been 
joking  each  other  pretty  hard  they  were  each  in  sonu 
warmth  of  temper.  The  driver  was  listening  and  grew  a 
little  careless  when  at  the  most  critical  point  of  the  grade 
his  team  shied  and  upset  the  stage  down  the  hill.  There 
were  some  trees  against  which  the  stage  hung  up.  The 
slope  was  as  steep  as  the  roof  of  a  house  and  the  two  pion- 
eer politicians  started  down  the  slope  in  a  very  unconven- 
tional way.  Kelsey  succeeded  in  colliding  with  a  tret 
before  he  got  fully  under  way  and  turned  to  look  for  the 
Governor,  who  was  headed  down  hill  on  all  fours  and  mak- 
ing wonderful  time.       Kelsey  called  at  the  top  of  his  voice, 

"come   back  you  d d   old   fool,  you'll  got  lost!"        Th< 

Governor  succeeded  in  stopping  himself,  the  stage  was 
righted,  but  little  damage  was  done,  the  passengers  crawlee 


114  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

in  and  they  proceeded  in  silence.  The  Judge  was  inclined 
to  be  talkative  but  the  Governor  was  too  indignant  to 
answer  him. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  the  station  and  en- 
joyed that  peculiar  sensation  only  known  to  those  who  have 
had  two  strenuous  days  of  such  travel  as  belonged  to  long 
journeys  du.ing  pioneer  experiences.  Our  present  troubles 
were  over  and  a  little  comfort  was  at  hand  which  we  enjoy- 
ed to  the  fullest,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  we  would 
have  to  make  the  return  trip  in  a  few  days  and  in  all 
probability  would  again  suffer  tribulation.  One  is  not  fit 
for  pioneer  life  who  cannot  follow  the  scriptural  injunction, 
"think  not  of  the  morrow,"  so  far  as  worrying  over  probable 
future  hardships  is  concerned.  In  fact  these  experiences 
and  adventures  constitute  a  very  interesting  picture  gallery, 
which,  during  the  remainder  of  life  can  be  called  up  and 
looked  over  at  will;  the  old  masters  have  painted  nothing 
as  good,  and  J.  P.  Morgan's  great  picture  collection  would 
not  be  accepted  by  me  in  exchange  for  my  own,  if  the 
exchange  could  be  made. 

Our  present  occupation  is  an  examination  of  the  old 
Siskiyou  island,  therefore  we  will  turn  south  from  Drain  on 
the  Southern  Pacific  road  to  Grants  Pass.  The  probabilities 
are  that  we  are  beyond  the  limits  of  the  Old  Island,  though  I 
believe  it  extends  as  far  north  as  the  Umpqua  river  at  Scotts- 
burg,  and  there  are  some  indications  of  it  in  the  valley  of 
that  name.  We  will  not  theorize  upon  this  but  will  view 
the  valley  and  leave  to  the  Geological  Department  the  duty 
of  settling  the  question  of  its  age. 

From  Drain  to  Roseburg,  the  county  seat  of  Douglas 
county,  is  forty  miles,  and  the  country,  in  appearance  is  not 
like  any  other  part  of  Oregon.  It  is  not  properly  a  valley, 
but  a  great  plain  dotted  over  with  hills  and  mountains  of 
moderate  size,  without  regularity  or  order.  As  a  rule 
these  hills  are  timbered  with  pine,  fir  and  cedar  on  the 
north  slopes  while  the  southern  slopes  are  provided  with 
beautiful  oak  timber  standing  in  groups  and  groves,  or 
singly  upon  a  smooth  grass  covered  acclivity  which  in  many 
places  has  been  cleared  of  the  trees  and  put  in  cultivation. 
In  other  places  these  southern  slopes  never  had  any  timber 
but  were  found  by  the  first  settlers  enchanting  spots  of 
splendid  soil,  usually  a  clay  covered  everywhere  with  ex- 
cellent grass  and  decorated  with  a  great  variety  of  flowers 
that  filled  the  spring  days  with  fragrance.  Where  these 
hills  are  not  too  steep  they  are  cultivated  to  the  top  on  the 
south  slopes  and  produce  great  crops  of  cereals  and  fruit. 


AND  MARBLE   HALLS  OF  OREGON.  115 

Between  these  hills  lie  the  valleys,  many  of  them  several 
miles  in  area  and  supporting  a  good  population,  while  others 
seem  to  have  been  made  for  a  single  family.  Across  the 
Umpqua  valley  from  Drain  at  its  north  to  the  mouth  of 
Cow  creek  canyon  at  its  southerly  extremity,  is  about  eighty 
miles,  as  traversed  by  the  railroad.  The  county  is  bound- 
ed north  by  Lane  county,  east  by  Lane,  Klamath  and  Jack- 
son, south  by  Jackson  and  Josephine  and  west  by  Coos  and 
the  Ocean.  It  reaches  to  the  summit  of  the  Cascades  on 
the  east  and  much  of  it  is  high,  mountainous,  heavily  for- 
ested and  picturesque.  The  Umpqua  river  rises  in  two 
sources,  the  north  Umpqua  in  the  Cascade  mountains  in 
the  northeast  part  of  the  county  flows  by  a  general  westerly 
course  with  a  slight  southern  trend.  The  South  Umpqua 
rises  also  in  the  Cascade  Mountains  to  the  southeast  and 
has  its  course  westerly  and  northwesterly  to  a  junction  with 
the  North  branch  a  few  miles  northwest  from  Roseburg, 
thence  westerly  by  a  sinuous  course  to  the  ocean. 
Both  branches  are  beautiful  streams  of  clear,  cold  water, 
Roseburg  stands  on  both  banks  of  the  South  Umpqua.  Thiir 
little  city  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  Southern  Oregon  and  is  a 
place  of  wealth  and  importance.  Its  site  is  a  picturesque 
one,  and  it  is  surrounded  by  fine  farms  and  orchards.  It 
is  the  site  of  the  Soldiers'  Home  for  the  state,  which  i^ 
located  a  mile  and  a  half  westerly  near  the  river,  and  has- 
been  worked  into  a  bower  of  beauty. 

If  we  were  writing  a  civil  and  political  history  of  the 
state,  Roseburg  and  Douglas  counties  would  furnish  several 
interesting  chapters.  Here  was  the  home  of  Gen.  "Joe" 
Lane  an  Indian  fighter,  the  first  Governor  of  Oregon  and 
United  States  Senator,  who  resigned  that  position  at  tht 
breakout  of  the  Civil  War,  because  of  his  sympathy  witb 
the  South.  He  was  candidate  for  vice-president  in  I860 
on  the  ticket  with  Breckenridge  and  was  for  many  years- 
a  prominent  and  picturesque  figure.  Though  out  of  sym- 
pathy with  a  majority  of  the  state,  in  that  great  crisis,  in  al. 
other  matters  he  was  held  in  high  esteem.  He  raised  here  a 
large  and  intelligent  family,  several  of  whom  have  honored 
positions  and  all  of  whom  have  held  the  respect  of  their 
fellow  citizens.  Judge  Mathew  P.  Deady,  so  long  U.  S.  Dist. 
Judge  of  Oregon  was,  also  a  resident  of  the  county  in  tlu- 
early  days.  Judge  Deady  gained  a  wide  and  honorable 
distinction  as  judge  during  the  many  years  that  he  held  that 
office.  No  man  ever  maintained  a  higher  judicial  dignity, 
or  left  more  valuable  decisions  than  he.  J.  F.  Watsoi 
who  served  two  years  as  United  States  District  Attorney  and 


116  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

several  times  as  Judge  of  the  Second  Judicial  District  of 
Oregon  and  his  brother  E.  B  .Watson,  who  served  on  the 
Supreme  bench  of  the  state  were  raised  in  this  county, 
Roseburg  is,  and  since  his  boyhood  has  been,  the  home  of 
Binger  Herman,  several  terms  a  member  of  Congress  and 
for  many  years  Commissioner  of  the  U.  S.  General  Land 
Office. 

But,  as  has  heretofore  been  said,  I  am  not  writing 
either  a  civil  or  political  history,  and  must  omit  this  inter- 
esting subject.  As  will  be  surmised  from  what  has  already 
been  said,  the  valley  has  the  general  shape  of  a  palm  leaf 
spread  out,  with  its  stem  lying  along  the  river  to  the  ocean. 
Many  streams  come  from  the  high  mountains  all  converging 
and  flowing  into  the  Umpqua  river.  Along  all  of  these 
streams  are  margins  of  rich  land  which  have  been  appro- 
priated and  are  generally  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation. 
The  great  numbers  of  little  valleys,  nestling  among  the 
rounded  grass-covered  hills  make  it  a  very  picturesque 
county,  almost  unique.  Many  of  the  richest  farms  and 
orchards  of  the  state  are  found  here  and  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  county  considerable  mining  is  done.  Besides 
its  splendid  forests  of  pine,  fir  and  cedar,  it  also  has  great 
wealth  in  its  oak,  ash  and  maple.  Its  principal  towns 
along  the  railroad  to  the  north  from  Roseburg,  are  Oakland, 
Yoncalla  and  Drain,  the  last  mentioned  place  being  the 
site  of  one  of  the  Normal  schools  of  the  state.  I  must  not 
fail  to  mention  Jesse  Applegate  and  Chas.  Applegate  who 
in  the  early  days  settled  at  Yoncalla.  The  Applegate  fam- 
ily was  large  and  in  the  pioneer  history  of  the  state  the 
Applegates  were  among  the  most  important  factors.  Per- 
haps Oregon  has  never  had  a  stronger  mind  than  that  of 
"Uncle"  Jesse  Applegate,  as  he  has  been  familiarly  called. 
His  life  and  history  would  fill  a  volume,  and  the  history 
of  the  state  could  not  be  written  without  it.  "Uncle"  Lind- 
sey  Applegate,  also  a  brother,  whose  home  was  at  Ashland, 
had  a  no  less  distinguished  career  and  honorable  record, 
whose  sons,  as  well,  have  added  many  interesting  chapters 
to  the  history  of  Oregon.  But  I  must  resist  the  temptation 
to  digress  into  historical  matters.  Along  the  railroad  south 
of  Roseburg  are  the  important  towns  of  Myrtle  Creek  and 
Riddle.  Near  the  last  mentioned  place  is  an  extensive  and 
valuable  deposit  of  nickel.  One  of  the  chief  products  of  the 
valley  is  prunes.  They  thrive  to  perfection  and  are  ship- 
ped by  the  carload.  Hops  are  also  produced  in  large  quan- 
tities on  bottom  lands.  As  before  stated,  the  soil  is  largely 
clay  among  the  hills,  but  in  the  bottom  is  a  loam.      Many 


AND   MARBLE   HALLS  OF  OREGON.  117 

of  the  hills  and  depressions  are  gravelly,  but  even  here,  ay 
a  rule,  apples,  pears  and  prunes  do  well.  The  climate  is 
a  medium  between  the  more  humid  one  of  the  Willamette 
and  the  dryer  one  of  the  Rogue  river.  For  its  geology, 
which  shows  less  age  than  the  Rogue  river,  I  must  content 
myself  with  referring  the  reader  to  Professor  Condon's 
"Two  Islands,"  before  mentioned,  though  it  is  a  great  tempt- 
ation to  go  into  its  sandstone  deposits  and  bring  forth  the 
interesting  records  found  there.  On  our  journey  south  a 
few  miles  beyond  Riddle,  we  plunge  into  Cow  Creek  canyon, 
one  of  the  most  picturesque  stretches  of  road  along  the 
line  of  the  S.  P.  The  canyon  is  very  deep,  the  mountains 
extremely  rugged  and  the  stream  very  crooked.  No  lover 
of  nature  can  take  a  run  of  twenty  odd  miles  through  this 
canyon  without  having  his  enthusiasm  aroused  to  the  high- 
est pitch.  One  cannot  avoid  admiration  of  the  engineering 
skill  and  courage  that  has  been  displayed  here  by  the  build- 
ers of  this  scenic  road.  At  West  Fork  we  see  the  last 
of  the  Port  Orford  cedar,  and  what  we  see  here  is  of  a 
young  growth.  It  is  being  rapidly  exhausted  within  reach 
of  the  railroad  by  the  demands  made  on  it  for  telegraph, 
telephone  and  electric  light  poles.  They  are  the  finest 
in  the  world  without  doubt  or  exception.  At  the  head  of 
the  canyon  we  pass  Glendale,  a  town  rapidly  growing  into 
importance  because  of  the  forests  near  it  and  the  mines 
that  receive  supplies  from  the  station.  A  short  distance 
out  of  Glendale  we  enter  Josephine  county,  and  a  run  of 
sixty  or  seventy  miles  over  a  mountainous  country  where 
there  are  extensive  mining  and  lumbering  interests,  brings 
us  again  to  Grants  Pass,  from  which  point  we  will  revisit 
the  Greyback  region  of  the  Siskiyous,  and  make  the  pro- 
mised exploration  of  the  Great  Josephine  County  caves; 
which  will  be  heareafter  designated  as  "The  Marble  Halls 
of  Oregon."  Before  making  these  explorations,  and  in 
pursuance  of  a  promise  made  in  a  previous 
chapter  the  succeeding  chapter  -will  deal  with 
"Lime  and  its  uses  in  Nature."  I  assure  the  reader 
and  believe  he  will  agree  with  me,  that  the  denudation  of 
these  mountains  of  their  lime  and  mixing  it  with  the 
deposits  of  the  valleys,  have  been  a  great  factor  in  consti- 
tuting the  unusual  richness  of  the  soil.  Permit  me  also 
to  say  that  the  reader  who  has  never  made  a  special  study 
of  lime  has  never  learned  his  relation  with  the  material 
things  about  him.  I  therefore  beg  him  to  read  it  before  he 
enters  the  caverns  that  nature  has  so  "wonderfully 
carved  in  the  limestone  beds  of  these  mountains. 


Chapter  XIV. 

LIME    AND    ITS    USES    IN    NATURE — CAUSES    OF    THE 

LIMESTONE    CAVERNS    WHICH    WE    HAVE 

YET  TO  EXPLORE. 

"I  am  a  part  of  all  that  I  have  met." 

We  are  about  to  explore  the  "Great  Marble  Halls  of 
Oregon"  and  inasmuch  as  they  are  excavated  in  the  mount- 
ains by  forces  nature  has  provided,  and  seem  to  have  been 
deposited  for  a  purpose,  our  study  would  be  incomplete,  did 
we  not  examine  somewhat  closely  this  important  element. 

Lime  has  been  one  of  the  greatest  record  makers  in 
the  unwritten  history  of  the  world's  progress,  from  the 
first  appearance  of  animal  and  vegetable  life  on  earth,  if. 
indeed  not  the  chief  est  employed  in  that  round  of  evolution, 
which  has  constantly  improved  on  the  past.  It  is  the 
most  useful  substance  known  to  man  in  the  mineral  king- 
dom. Its  uses  are  almost  innumerable,  but  we  will  only 
deal  with  a  few  of  them.  Nature  uses  lime  extensively 
in  all  forms  of  life,  both  animal  and  vegetable.  It  is  not 
readily  soluble  in  pure  water,  but  is  so  in  water  charged 
with  carbonic  acid  gas.  During  the  dry  seasons  and  im- 
mediately after  the  early  rains,  the  atmosphere  becomes 
charged  with  carbonic  acid  gas,  which  being  absorbed  and 
carried  down  with  the  rain  furnishes  vitality  to  vegetation, 
and  percolating  into  the  soils  finds  its  way  into  the  cracks 
and  fissures  of  the  earth,  acting  first  upon  the  soils,  then 
upon  the  rocks  in  its  way.  When  the  water  thus  charged 
comes  into  contact  with  the  limestone  bodies,  such  as  it 
will  soon  be  our  business  to  examine,  its  solvent  properties 
at  once  commence  active  operations;  cutting  and  dissolving 
and  forming  what  is  known  as  the  carbonate  of  lime.  If 
in  its  travels  it  reaches  great  depths  the  pressure  is  also 
great,  which  enhances  the  transporting  power  of  the  water: 
i.e.,  enables  the  water  to  carry  more  of  the  lime  than  would 
be  possible  with  less  pressure.  The  solvent  properties  of 
the  water  are  also  enhanced  by  the  pressure  and  more  rap- 
id cutting  results.  The  magnificent  caverns  that  we  are  tci 
examine  have  thus  been  formed  and  the  water  carrying  the 
lime  in  solution,  finds  an  outlet  to  the  surface,  where  beini; 


AND  MARBLE   HALLS  OF   OREGON.  119 

relieved  of  the  pressure,  and  an  opportunity  given  for  es- 
cape of  the  gas,  much  of  the  lime  that  has  been  carried  in 
solution  or  suspension  is  precipitated;  i.e,  deposited  along 
the  banks  or  bed  of  the  stream  incrusting  roots,  trees  and 
rocks,  and  where  the  conditions  are  favorable,  building  up 
some  of  the  many  wonders  in  lime,  samples  of  which  we 
shall  see  in  the  Marble  Halls.  If  the  water  has  been  heat- 
ed and  carries  a  quantity  of  sulphur,  the  deposit  formed 
will  constitute  what  is  known  as  travertine,  of  which  1 
will  speak  more  fully  hereafter.  A  considerable  quantity  of 
the  lime  is  still  further  held  in  solution  and  carried  along 
with  the  stream  for  the  enrichment  of  the  soils  along  its 
banks,  or  deposited  in  the  delta  at  its  mouth.  The  great 
depth  of  sediments  which  has  been  described  as  forming  the 
mass  of  Grizzly,  has  in  this  way  acquired  large  quantities 
of  lime  and  the  erosion  constantly  going  on,  reducing  these 
sediments  to  soils,  furnishes  the  Rogue  River  valley  with  a 
soil  enriched  by  this  valuable  product.  We  all  know  the 
value  of  lime  as  a  fertilizer,  and  see  in  the  operation  of  na- 
ture which  I  have  just  explained,  one  of  its  methods  to 
vitalize  and  urge  on  vegetal  growths,  so  essential  to  the 
existence  and  happiness  of  man. 

Carbonic  acid  gas  is  essential  to  the  growth  of  all 
kinds  of  vegetation,  and  for  this  purpose  the  atmosphere  is 
kept  charged  with  it.  Without  moisture  the  gas  would 
be  of  little  service,  as  it  woud  float  above  the  earth,  and  in 
time  would  charge  the  atmosphere  so  heavily  as  to  become 
dangerous  to,  if  not  destructive  of  all  life,  both  animal  and 
vegetal.  Rains  and  atmospheric  currents  distribute  it  and 
keep  up  its  proper  circulation.  We  will  assume  that  the 
wet  season  has  just  closed  and  the  dry  season  commenced. 
The  sun  causes  evaporation  to  take  place  rapidly;  the  moisl 
surface  gives  forth  its  gases,  of  which  carbonic  acid  gas  fur- 
nishes a  large  part.  After  a  time  of  warm  sunshine  there 
comes  a  shower  of  rain,  the  atmosphere  is  cleared  and  for 
a  time  seems  to  be  washed  and  clean.  The  carbonic  acid 
gas  which  had  accumulated,  is  carried  to  the  earth  as  1 
have  explained,  and  having  been  saturated  with  water 
commences  its  round  of  circulation.  Part  of  it  passes 
again  into  the  atmosphere  as  a  gas  and  a  part  goes  into  the 
earth  with  the  water  as  a  solution,  vitalizing  first  the 
vegetal  mold,  then  carrying  the  surplus  into  the  earth, 
where  it  combines  with  such  minerals  as  serve  its  purposes 
best,  which  we  find  is  lime.  Thus  we  see  the  lime  more 
widely  distributed  and  deposited,  giving  off  its  gas  which 
again  commences  its  round  of  circulation.        The  lime  thus 


120  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

distributed  is  to  be  used  again  and  again  in  taking  up  the 
surplus  of  carbonic  acid  gas  over  a  wider  range  and  extend- 
ing the  area  of  fruitful  soils  thus  enriched.  We  will  ob- 
serve that  evaporation  is  constantly  going  on  over  the  sur- 
face of  the  earth  and  ocean,  from  which  clouds  are  formed 
and  the  currents  of  air  that  carry  these  clouds  in  every 
direction  over  the  earth,  and  the  rains  that  come  from  them 
by  which  the  same  round  is  repeated  over  and  over  again. 
This  is  also  in  strict  accord  with  the  rythm  of  motion  thai 
is  observed  constantly  and  incessantly  in  everything  thai 
pertains  to  the  universe. 

There  are  other  gases  also,  which  are  taken  into  the 
circulation  of  nature  and  do  their  part  in  this  great  plan. 
but  we  are  now  dealing  with  the  uses  of  lime,  and  those 
elements  that  more  nearly  concern  it. 

Analysis  shows  that  every  variety  of  plant  life  contains 
a  proportion  of  lime,  and  that  all  requires  more  or  less  of 
carbonic  acid.  I  do  not  intend  to  say  that  the  same  pro- 
portion is  found  in,  or  is  required  by  all  classes  of  vegetal 
products,  but  that  the  amount  required  is  found.  The 
same  is  also  true  of  animal  life.  Earthy  matter  consisting 
largely  of  the  carbonate  and  phosphate  of  lime,  soda  and 
magnesia,  fill  the  bone  cells  and  give  strength  and  rigidity 
to  the  bones.  In  children  this  is  lacking  to  a  certain  de- 
gree, making  the  bones  flexible  and  easily  pressed  out  of 
shape.  In  old  age  the  earthy  matter  is  increased  which 
causes  the  bones  to  become  brittle  and  easily  broken.  T1kj 
following  table  gives  approximately  the  component  parts 
of  the  bone  structure  in  man  and  ox,  to-wit: 

In     man,     Gelatine  33.30     per     cent,     in     ox        33.30 

"        "        "        5  7.35 
3.86 

2.05 
3.45 

These  proportions  vary  in  different  animals,  but  in  all, 
lime  either  as  a  phosphate  or  a  carbonate,  furnishes  the 
major  portion  of  the  bone  structure.  These  are  permeated 
with  veins  through  which  a  circulation  of  blood  and  other 
fluids  is  kept  up,  and  by  which  wasted  tissue  is  renewed 
and  bone  structure  supplied.  It  follows  that  the  mineral 
substances  necessary  for  such  structure  are  supplied  through 
the  veins  and  must  come  from  the  food  that  is  eaten.  Wheth- 
er the  food  is  meat  or  vegetable  it  contains  these  necessary 
ingredients,  that  are  first  supplied  to  the  vegetal  world  in 
the  above  described  way.       Carbonate  of  lime,  so  abundant 


Gelatine 

33.30 

Lime   Phos. 

53.04 

Lime   Carb. 

11.30 

Mag.    Phos. 

1.16 

Soda  &  Salt 

1.26 

AND  MARBLE   HALLS  OF  OREGON.  121 

in  the  animal  and  vegetal  kingdoms,  is  the  main  constitu- 
ent oi:  the  shells  of  the  crustaceans  and  molusks,  and  as 
we  have  seen,  occurs  plentifully  in  the  bones  of  animals 
and  men.  Indeed  it  is  an  essential  ingredient  of  all  kinds 
of  life,  high  or  low,  animal  or  vegetal.  An  examination 
of  the  earliest  fossils  shows  that  it  played  a  larger  part  in 
the  early  ages  of  the  earth's  history  than  now.  The  com- 
binations of  lime  with  other  elements  were  brought  about 
by  natural  laws,  new  features  and  forms  and  greater  fine- 
ness were  evolved  in  the  various  subjects  brought  into  exist- 
ence. We  must  not  lose  sight  of  the  carbon,  which  in  the 
advancement  of  organic  nature  is  the  constant  companion 
of  lime,  and  without  which  the  magnificent  caverns  which 
we  are  to  examine  would  not  have  been  formed  and 
of  these  great  lime  deposits  below  the  surface  of  the 
mountains  would  be  lost  to  the  necessary  advancement  oi 
organic  life.  Without  the  carbon  man  would  have  been 
deprived  of  the  benefits  derived  from  these  massive  beds 
of  fertilizing  and  revivifying  materials  stored  away  in  the 
bowels  of  the  earth.  Carbon,  then,  is  one  of  the  essential 
elements  by  the  means  of  which  various  mineral  substances 
are  utilized  for  the  growth  of  living  organisms.  It  is  free 
or  uncombined  in  graphite  and  pure  in  the  diamond.  It 
is  much  more  abundant,  however,  in  states  of  combin- 
ation. United  with  oxygen  it  occurs  as  a  carbonic  acid  gas 
in  the  atmosphere,  in  natural  waters,  in  limestone,  in  dolo- 
mite and  ironstone.  In  coal  it  is  found  combined  with 
oxygen  and  hydrogen;  and  in  animals  and  plants  it  is  found 
as  one  of  the  elements  in  building  up  wood,  starch,  gum, 
bone  and  flesh. 

So  essentially  useful  are  these  elements  when  combin- 
ed with  animal  and  vegetal  matter,  or  more  properly  speak- 
ing, when  formed  into  such  matter  because  of  the  properties 
we  have  been  discussing  and  others  not  yet  touched  uponn, 
that  man  finds  many  uses  for  the  broken  fragments  of  these 
frames  along  the  pathway  of  natural  decay.  For  instance 
bones  are  largely  used  in  purifying  liquids,  syrups,  etc., 
etc.  when  properly  prepared  and  also  as  deodorizers  and 
fertilizers.  In  fact  there  seems  scarcely  a  limit  to  the 
usefulness  of  these  mineral  substances,  and  when  used 
over  and  over  again,  and  almost  innumerable  compounds 
have  been  made  from  them  and  used  for  the  purposes  for 
which  they  were  made,  the  residue  is  again  handed  ovei 
to  nature's  chemical  laboratory  where  they  are  refitted  for 
a  new  round  of  usefulness.  Every  day  we  eat  of  the  bones: 
and    flesh   and   vegetables   of   prehistoric  ages,   and   lime   is 


122  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

largely  the  vehicle  by  which  these  prehistoric  feasts  have 
been  carried  down  the  ages  to  us. 

All  of  the  constituents  that  enter  into  the  composition 
of  bones,  are  desirable  additions  to  soils,  and  particularly 
the  phosphates.  Phosphoric  acid  usually  found  in  com- 
bination with  magnesia,  but  more  particularly  with  lime, 
enters  into  the  structure  of  every  plant  and  animal;  and 
can  not  therefore,  be  dispensed  with,  either  in  animal  or 
vegetal  economy.  A  study  of  ocean  life  shows  that  cal- 
careous, i.e.  chalky,  or  limy  matter  enters  not  only  the 
fleshy  and  vegetal  substances,  but  also  into  the  bone,  where 
bone  is  a  part  of  the  structure,  and  into  the  shell  where 
such  a  shield  or  shelly  covering  is  provided  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  animal  wearing  it.  It  will  also  be  observed 
that  light  and  heat  are  indispensable  to  the  development 
of  animal  or  vegetal  forms.  Both  light  and  solar  heat 
are  diminished  by  remoteness  from  external  influences. 
Solar  light  and  heat  also  depends  upon  the  position  occu- 
pied upon  the  surface  of  the  earth.  The  most  luxuriant 
growth  of  animal  and  vegetal  life  to  be  seen  at  the  present 
time  is  to  be  found  near  the  equator.  There  is  also  found 
the  strongest  light  and  the  intensest  solar  heat.  As  the 
poles  are  approached  we  know  that  the  heat  and  light  dim- 
inishes, and  so  does  the  proportions  of  animal  and  vegetal 
life.  This  thought  carries  us  back  to  the  one  already 
developed,  that  vegetal  life  depends  largely  upon  carbonic 
acid  gas  for  nourishment,  and  that  animal  life  depends  pri- 
marily upon  vegetal  life.  We  have  seen  that  the  genera- 
tion of  carbonic  acid  gas  on  the  surface  of  the  earth,  de- 
pends on  light,  heat  and  moisture,  and  that  its  distribution 
depends,  first;  on  ocean  and  air  currents,  and  second  upon 
percolation  into  the  earth  and  the  transporting  power  of 
water;  and  that  from  this  it  enters  into  the  complex  cir- 
culation of  fluids  and  gases,  and  in  animal  life,  into  the 
circulation  of  the  blood. 

Now,  when  we  realize  the  fact,  that  in  order  to  give 
carbonic  acid  gas  its  greatest  facility  for  the  development  of 
life,  either  animal  or  vegetal,  it  must  combine  with  some 
mineral  substance;  and  that  lime  is  the  substance  with 
which  it  most  readily  combines  for  its  greatest  work  in 
the  economy  of  nature,  we  are  preparing  to  follow  it  into 
further  combinations  needed  by  it  in  the  prosecution  of 
the  work  it  has  in  hand.  It  used  to  be  a  favorite  notion 
that  phosphorus  was  in  some  way  connected  with  the  active 
working  of  the  mind,  and  that  fish,  being  rich  in  phosphorus 
furnished  an  excellent  brain  food. 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.  123 

The  reader  will  remember  that  in  a  previous  chapter 
I  have  given  considerable  attention  to  the  mineral  springs 
in  the  upper  part  of  the  Rogue  River  valley  and  elsewhere 
about  the  Siskiyou  mountains;  that  I  have  given  an  analysis 
of  one  of  the  springs  and  spoke  of  the  escaping  carbonic  acid 
gas  and  other  gases  connected  with  the  springs,  and  of  the 
great  depth  of  sediment  forming  the  mass  of  Grizzly  moun- 
tain; and  the  extensive  erosion  of  the  Siskiyous,  by  which 
the  greater  part  of  the  surface  lime  and  other  deposits  were 
washed  into  the  sea.  -  These  great  beds  of  sediment  and 
escaping  gases  indicate  the  character  of  the  soils  being 
formed,  and  that  they  contain  the  ingredients  we  are  con- 
sidering. They  are  among  the  strongest  evidences  of  the 
great  age  of  this  old  island  and  account  for  the  peculiar 
growths  and  great  fertility  of  the  valleys  of  this  region. 

As  v/e  have  seen,  the  bony  structure  of  all  animals  in- 
cluding man,  contains  the  phosphate  and  carbonate  of  lime, 
the  phosphate  predominating.  The  proportion  of  phos- 
phates is  greater  in  marine  life  than  in  that  found  on  land, 
so  far  as  the  fleshy  parts  of  the  animals  are  concerned. 
This  does  not  apply  to  the  shells  of  such  animals  as  are 
furnished  with  such  covering,  which  are  chiefly  of  the 
carbonate  of  lime.  We  see  therefore  that  phosphoric  acid 
and  carbonic  acid,  are  required  in  the  economy  of  nature 
in  combination  with  lime  as  a  base,  in  furnishing  vitality  to 
organic  life.  Pursuing  our  study  we  see  that  the  immense 
beds  of  limestone,  covered  deeply  under  the  mountains  and 
valleys,  are  largely  composed  of  the  bones  and  shelly  cover- 
ing of  marine  animals  now  extinct;  and  that  these  bed*- 
were  temporarily  withdrawn  from  use,  to  supply  the  re- 
quirements of  after-ages.  When  we  realize  the  fact  that 
lime  is  so  essential  to  the  existence  and  development  of  or- 
ganic life,  and  that  so  much  of  it  is  stored  away,  we  may 
reasonably  ask  the  question:  from  whence  is  the  present 
supply  derived,  and  how  did  these  immense  beds  of  lime 
come  into  existence  as  such?  We  will  search  for  an 
answer. 

These  beds  are  not  wholly  due  to  the  action  of  tin 
elements  on  the  uncovered  portions  of  the  earth's  surface. 
In  fact  many  of  our  most  extensive  beds  of  limestone  show 
that  they  were  formed  at  the  bottom  of  the  ocean,  and 
only  contain  fossils  of  marine  animals  and  fishes.  Many 
of  these  beds  may  be  traced  to  a  coral  origin,  while  others- 
show  the  shells  of  mollusks  and  other  denizens  of  the  deep. 
The  discovery  of  marine  shells  in  the  shales  and  sandstone^ 
of   our   highest   mountains,    shows   that   every   part   of   thU 


124  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

globe  has  at  some  time  or  another  been  submerged  beneath 
the  waves  of  the  sea;  and  all  bear  evidence  of  the  import- 
ant part  that  lime  has  played  in  the  existence  of  organic 
matter,  from  the  earliest  appearance  of  animal  life.  I 
have  already  observed  that  lime  appears  to  have  been  more 
extensively  used  in  the  early  history  of  the  earth  than  at 
present.  This  is  borne  out  by  the  fact  that  life  seems  to 
have  been  more  abundant  then  than  now,  and  in  form  was 
more  gigantic.  I  do  not  mean  to  be  understood  that  there 
is  less  lime  nor  that  it  is  in  less  use  now  than  then,  but 
that  in  the  evolution  of  all  material  things,  and  the  unceas- 
ing circulation,  it  has  come  to  be  more  and  more  refined 
and  more  generally  distributed.  In  the  reptilian  age,  when 
this  old  island  was  surrounded  by  the  ocean,  the  waters 
fairly  swarmed  with  monsters,  whose  huge  frames  required 
immense  quantities  of  carbonate  and  phosphates  of  lime. 
These  frames  are  now  being  unearthed  in  the  centers  of 
the  continents,  and  in  almost  all  places  far  inland,  and  in 
their  decomposition  have  added  much  needed  fertilizing 
material. 

As  these  limy  materials  have  been  extracted  from  their 
beds  by  the  action  of  the  elements  and  other  causes,  they 
have  contributed  their  proportion  to  the  streams  that  have 
carried  them  to  the  ocean,  where  nature's  chemistry  has 
been  employed  to  restore  them  to  usefulness  by  the 
revitalizing  processes  employed  in  its  labaratory,  which 
though  being  continually  drawn  from  are  never  exhausted. 
These  new  beds  may  again,  sometime,  be  found  buried 
under  mountains  far  inland,  if  the  ocean  shall  continue  to 
shift  its  position  as  it  has  done  in  the  past,  which  does  not 
seem  probable,  however.  Then  after  undergoing  meta- 
morphic  transformation  they  will  be  subjected  to  the  same 
processes  that  we  will  see  going  on  in  the  great  marble 
caverns  which  we  are  preparing  to  explore,  from  whence 
in  different  combinations  they  will  issue  forth  to  renew  and 
fertalize  fields  and  valleys,  now  hidden  from  the  sun,  as 
these  are  now  fertalizing  the  valleys  into  which  their  waters 
flow. 

The  ocean  is  the  great  fountain  from  which  the  lime 
gathers  its  phosphorus,  while  it  draws  its  carbon  from  the 
rain  that  finds  its  way  by  percolation,  through  cracks  and 
fissures  in  the  rocks,  long  after  the  ocean  has  been  removed 
to  some  other  portion  of  the  earth,  and  these  limestone 
beds,  once  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea  have  become  a  part  of 
some  continent  or  island. 

So  that  in  this  we  have  marked  out  another  source  of 


AND  MARBLE   HALLS  OF  OREGON.  lfe 

vital  circulation,  that  is  and  for  many  ages  has  been  evolving 
higher  and  newer  forms  out  of  the  materials,  which  though 
they  never  die  are  constantly  changing  burial  places;  first 
at  the  bottom  of  the  ocean,  then  in  the  heart  of  a  mighty 
mountain.  In  this  way  they  are  repeating  the  round  of  all 
matter,  whether  of  that  we  call  animate,  or  that  we  desig- 
nate as  inanimate.  Thus,  though  buried  for  aeons  of 
ages  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  or  in  the  depths  of  the 
ocean,  it  means  not  death,  but  a  renewal  of  life  and  strength 
by  ages  of  rest  and  sleep,  during  which  the  elements  em- 
ployed are  combining  with  the  vitalizing  forces  of  nature 
for  distant  enterprises,  in  developing  higher  and  newer 
forms  of  life.  The  fossils  now  being  deposited,  including 
all  forms  of  organic  matter,  will  sometime  in  the  distant 
future,  perhaps,  be  to  those  who  shall  then  live  what  the 
fossils  of  animals  now  extinct  are  to  us,  while  the  material 
will  have  been  used  over  and  over  again,  each  succeeding 
process  having  a  tendency  toward  still  further  refinement. 

This  branch  of  the  subject  is  by  no  means  exhausted, 
but  not  wishing  to  tire  our  readers,  if  any  shall  find  patience 
to  peruse  this,  we  will  hasten  on  to  another  topic  connected 
herewith  that  ought  not  be  overlooked,  inasmuch  as  it 
will  throw  still  further  light  on  the  subject  of  this  volume. 

It  is  reasonably  certain  that  the  earliest  form  of  life 
on  the  earth  was  an  algae,  or  sea  weed.  It  is  also  quite 
certain  that  at  that  period  the  surface  of  the  earth  was  in 
a  state  of  great  heat,  as  compared  with  the  present  tem- 
perature, and  that  only  such  life  as  is  suited  to  such  tem- 
perature could  exist.  As  the  cooling  process  continued, 
other  forms  of  life  suited  to  the  changed  conditions  came 
into  existence.  Now  if  we  find  anywhere  on  the  earth's 
surface  conditions  similar  to  those  that  prevailed  in  thai- 
distant  past,  and  if  there  we  find  a  growth  similar  to  the 
growths  of  which  I  have  spoken,  and  if  it  is  at  the  present 
time  thriving,  we  may  study  it  with  satisfaction  and  profit. 

In  Iceland,  New  Zealand,  the  Yellowstone  National, 
Park,  and  in  some  other  places  on  the  earth  we  find  hot 
and  boiling  springs,  all  carrying  various  kinds  of  mineral 
substances  in  solution  or  suspension,  and  there  we  also 
find  such  growths  as  are  suited  to  such  conditions.  We 
will  only  take  what  we  observe  at  the  Yellowstone,  because 
it  is  a  section  within  our  own  country,  and  because  we  will 
there  find  the  phenomena  in  greater  perfection  than  else- 
where, and  on  a  more  extensive  scale.  Here  are  the  Mam- 
moth Hot  Springs  ranging  from  one  to  two  hundred  degrees 
of    heat   as   the   water   conies   to    the   surface.        From    one 


126  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

hundred  to  one  hundred  and  eighty  degrees  we  find  algae 
growing  vigorously.  There  are  a  great  many  of  these  hot 
springs  and  the  volume  of  water  is  very  large.  About 
them  have  been  built  up  basins  of  travertine  of  great 
beauty,  consisting  almost  wholly  of  carbonate  of  lime  with 
which  the  water  is  heavily  charged.  On  close  examina- 
tion we  find  that  the  vegetable  algae  is  one  of  the  chief 
artificers  in  the  construction.  This  growth  is  not  found 
except  in  hot  or  warm  water,  and  its  growth  is  marked 
where  the  water  has  a  temperature  of  from  one  hundred 
forty  five  to  one  hundred  sixty  degrees  of  heat.  This 
growth  seems  to  be  spontaneous,  for  immediately  where  it 
is  the  hottest  it  grows  best.  This  apparently  spontaneous 
growth  it  would  seem,  is  such  in  fact,  or  else  the  seed  from 
which  it  springs  comes  from  the  same  buried  regions  whence 
the  lime  is  supplied.  One  is  perhaps  justified  in  speculat- 
ing a  little  under  the  unusual  circumstances.  Is  it  prob- 
able that  the  limestone  beds  that  are  now  being  brought  to 
the  surface  in  solution,  were  formed  in  that  early  period 
of  the  earth's  existence  when  its  surface  held  only  hot  soils 
and  hot  water?  If  so  then;  was  this  character  of  growth 
indiginous  at  that  time  and  at  the  place  where  the  lime 
was  gathered,  and  were  its  ripened  seeds  borne  away  on 
the  water  and  deposited  with  and  hermetically  sealed  in 
the  limestone,  and  now  being  released  again  at  the  surface 
under  conditions  similar  to  those  that  prevailed  at  the  time 
of  its  growth,  i.e.,  under  great  heat,  that  they  at  once  ger- 
minate and  grow?  If  that  suggestion  is  dsiputed  I  would 
like  a  more  plausible  one.  If  we  suppose  this  to  be  true 
we  have  the  spectacle  of  seeds  being  embalmed  and  preser- 
ved from  the  date  of  the  earliest  growths  on  the  earth,  and 
now  being  brought  to  the  surface  and  freed  under  condi- 
tions of  heat  similar  to  that  which  prevailed  when  it  was 
the  only  growth,  it  springs  into  life  and  exhibits  to  us  the 
methods  employed  by  nature  in  the  very  morning  of  the 
earliest  vegetable  existence.  1  know  this  thought  will 
meet  opposition  from  botanists  and  I  will  not  urge  it.  But 
aside  from  speculation  we  have  facts  to  examine  which  are 
most  interesting. 

This  strange  locality  is  doubtless  the  site  of  recent 
volcanic  action,  and  the  geysers  and  hot  springs  indicate 
great  internal  heat  still  prevailing.  The  mountains  in 
the  neighborhood  show  great  and  complicated  foliation  of 
stratified  rocks,  consisting  of  sandstone,  shale  and  lime- 
stone which,  in  places  is  capped  with  basaltic  lava,  the 
result   of   volcanic   activity   since   the   stratified    rocks   were 


AND  MARBLE   HALLS  OF  OREGON.  127 

laid  down;  practically  the  same  as  prevailed  on  Grizzly 
mountain.  The  interesting  terraces,  basins  and  other 
structures  built  up  by  the  Mammoth  Hot  Springs,  consist 
of  the  carbonate  of  lime  and  have  doubtless  left  great  cav- 
erns in  the  original"  beds,  similar  to  those  it  is  our  pur- 
pose to  explore  presently.  The  manner  of  construction 
is  as  follows:  As  the  heated  water  pours  from  its  exit 
in  the  rocks,  the  algae  commences  at  once  to  grow,  attaching 
itself  to  the  rocky  bed  where  it  strikes.  Its  growth  is  in 
a  single  fiber  that  shoots  up  toward  the  surface  of  the  water. 
The  vegetable  fiber  requires  carbonic  acid,  which  is  con- 
tained in  the  carbonate  of  lime  held  in  solution  and  is 
attracted  to  the  fiber  and  as  the  water  commences  to  deposit 
the  lime  it  gathers  about  the  growing  fiber,  building  a  tube 
around  it.  The  fiber  and  tube  grow  together  until  the 
top  of  the  water  is  reached  when  both  stop  and  the  veget- 
able dies  at  the  top.  While  this  one  was  being  built  up 
thousands  more  were  growing  up  side  by  side  in  the  same 
way  and  the  spaces  between  the  tubes  were  being  filled 
with  little  pellicles  of  lime  which  were  held  in  suspension, 
making  a  solid  wall  which  would  cause  the  water  to  rise 
as  high  as  its  outlet,  and  this  wall  describing  the  arc  of  a 
circle  and  connected  at  each  side  with  the  rocks  of  the 
mountainside  formed  a  beautiful  basin  between  the  wall 
and  the  mountain.  When  the  water  has  risen  as  high  as 
its  point  of  issue,  it  breaks  over  the  growing  wall  and 
commences  to  build  another  basin  below,  and  so  on  down 
the  side  of  the  slope,  building  beautiful  white  terraces  and 
each  terrace  containing  a  basin  of  limpid  hot  water.  These 
beautiful  terraces  and  basin  walls  are  tinted  with  bright 
colors,  red  and  green,  imparted  by  the  contained  vegetable, 
though  for  a  long  time  it  was  supposed  to  be  a  mineral 
coloring.  The  further  away  from  the  exit,  of  course  the 
cooler  becomes  the  water,  and  the  paler  grows  the  algae, 
until  we  find  it  building  no  terraces  nor  walls  but  waving 
about  in  the  current  white  and  colorless,  the  water  having 
lost  most  of  its  heat,  and  deposited  most  of  its  lime. 

Along  the  banks  of  this  heated  stream  there  gathers  a 
slimy  deposit,  like  gelatine;  such  as  is  often  seen  in  back- 
yards during  the  wet  weather;  this  comes  from  the  steam 
and  is  a  deposit  of  that  which  was  contained  in  the  water; 
brought  from  the  depths  where  the  earlier  deposits  of  or- 
ganic matter,  both  vegetal  and  animal,  were  stored  away. 
Being  at  all  times  subject  to  additions  from  this  steam 
it  has  its  own  growth  and  when  stepped  on  or  handled,  it 
seems  nearly  to  resemble  the  mass  of  which  the  jelly-fish 


128  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

of  the  ocean  are  composed,  but  on  examination  it  is  found 
to  be  a  vegetal  growth  also.  When  taken  from  the  rocks 
where  it  has  been  deposited  and  has  grown  and  placed 
where  it  will  be  exposed  to  the  sun,  the  water  which  it 
contains  is  evaporated  and  there  is  left  only  a  small  residue 
of  carbonate  of  lime,  silica  and  other  earthy  matter. 

We  will  now  briefly  examine  the  geysers  of  this  same 
region 'some  miles  away.  Here  the  hot  water  is  at  in- 
tervals thrown  to  a  great  height,  forming  large  pools  about 
them.  This  is  called  acid  water,  because  it  has  been  dis- 
solving the  acid  rocks  and  holds  the  result  -in  solution,  as 
the  other  beds  hold  the  lime,  silica  being  largely  the  product 
held.  Silicia  is  the  material  from  which  glass  is  made. 
Crystalized  quartz  furnishes  the  purest  example  of  silica 
in  mass.  Now  on  watching  the  action  of  these  geysers  we 
will  notice  that  a  substance  of  gelatine  is  being  collected 
about  the  outer  edges  of  the  pools,  where  it  grows  like 
the  mother  of  vinegar.  This  is  also  a  vegetable  as  the 
mother  of  vinegar  is,  and  has  a  sour  taste.  Thi;> 
jelly-like  mass  is  driven  constantly  toward  the  edges  of 
the  pool,  until  it  becomes  so  dense  that  the  water  is 
forced  to  find  an  outlet,  and  breaks  through  at  some  point 
drawing  the  water  away  from  this  growth  and  leaving  it 
to  the  mercy  of  the  sun.  The  growth  has  taken  root,  so 
to  speak,  in  the  rock  that  forms  the  bed  of  the  pool,  or 
rather,  it  attaches  itself  to  the  rocks  and  grows  like  a  toad 
stool.  If  while  the  moisture  still  continues  in  it,  you 
step  into  the  mass  the  sensation  is  the  same  as  though 
you  trod  on  a  massive  jelly-fish,  the  foot  crushes  through 
it.  Now  after  the  sun  has  evaporated  the  water  from  it,  lo! 
we  have  another  transformation;  a  stone  of  the  character  of 
opal,  called  silicious  sinter,  because  silica  is  the  chief  in- 
gredient. In  the  northwestern  part  of  Nevada,  in  a  sage 
plain,  there  is  quite  an  area  over  which  these  bunches  ol 
silicious  sinter  are  scattered,  evincing  the  probability  that 
here  geyser  action  prevailed  in  the  distant  past.  This 
silicious  sinter,  after  it  has  been  completely  transformed, 
shows  specimens  that  resemble  a  compact  species  of  coral. 
An  acid  test  shows  the  presence  of  lime  also.  Even  in  its 
solid  rock  state  it  lias  the  appearance  of  a  petrified  fungus. 

There  is  much  more  that  might  be  said  in  this  con- 
nection but  fearing  to  tire  my  readers  with  that  which, 
strangely  it  seems  to  me,  fails  to  interest  so  many,  I  will 
not  pursue  it  further,  though  a  book  might  be  written  on 
the  subject.  I  will,  however,  ask  that  you  remember  what 
I   have  said  about  this  formation  of  silicious  sinter  and  of 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.       12*1 

algaeous  growth  and  jelly  masses  to  which  out  attention 
was  drawn  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Mammoth  Hot 
Springs,  and  the  peculiar  life  we  saw  thrown  onto  the 
beach  in  our  ride  from  Coos  Bay  to  the  Umpqua.  We 
will  further  be  led  to  a  consideration  of  the  uses  to  which 
silica  and  lime  are  put  in  the  advancement  of  organic  mat- 
ter. This  is  proper  for  we  are  engaged  in  studying  some 
of  the  most  interesting  things  in  nature. 

I  have  referred  to  the  cretaceous  period  and  the  rep- 
tilian age,  as  to  the  immense  forms  and  character  of  animal 
life  existing  at  that  time.  As  I  have  said,  the  ocean 
then  swarmed  with  animals  of  gigantic  size  and  mon- 
strous build.  The  fossils  of  that  period  show  that  many 
of  these  animals  lived  both  in  the  water  and  on  the  land; 
great  four-footed  beasts  that  both  walked  and  swam,  some 
of  them  also  added  the  skill  of  flying.  An  examination 
of  these  monsters  show  that  many  of  them  had  a  covering 
of  shells  and  scales.  Where  the  animal  was  covered 
with  a  shield  of  scales,  the  material  contained  a  large  per 
cent  of  silica,  and  those  that  wore  shells  had  their  shield 
of  carbonate  of  lime.  The  Ptyrodactyl  was  beast  and  bird 
combined.  From  tip  to  tip  of  his  wings  he  sometimes 
measured  twenty  feet.  His  wings  were  of  leather  instead 
of  feathers,  more  like  a  bat  than  a  bird.  He  had  jaws 
and  teeth  like  an  alligator.  His  tail  was  an  elongated 
vertebra  with  many  joints  and  growing  out  at  right  angles 
from  these  joints  were  quills,  more  like  those  of  a  porcupine 
than  a  bird,  with  coarse  spines  which  were  then  the  nearest 
semblance  to  feathers  to  be  found  in  all  nature.  As  we 
trace  these  animals  down  to  the  present  time  we  are  struck 
with  the  gradual  but  steady  changes  that  have  occurred. 
The  Ptyrodactyl  has  by  degrees  lost  its  massive  size;  his 
teeth  and  jaws  have  given  way  for  a  beak;  his  bat-like 
wings  have  been  exchanged  for  the  beauty  and  strength 
of  feathers  and  feathers  are  made  to  cover  his  whole  body. 
The  scaly  covering  of  most  of  the  animals  have  been  dropped 
and  hair  or  fur  have  taken  their  place.  A  fair  division  has 
been  made  between  the  land,  the  sea  and  the  air.  There 
is  less  of  war  among  them  than  in  earlier  times.  Scales 
and  shells  are  not  now  so  necessary  for  their  protection, 
There  has  grown  more  gentleness  and  civility,  and  more 
refinement  both  in  form  and  manner,  social  instincts  have 
been  gradually  evolved.  The  posterity  of  the  Ptyrodactyl 
now  covers  the  whole  field  from  the  Condor  of  the  Andes, 
to  the  humming  bird,  that  animated  flash  of  sunshine  and 
brilliant  plumage  that  will   draw  a  momentary   feast  from 


130  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

the  boquet  you  hold  in  your  hand.  All  these  changes  and 
a  million  more  have  occurred,  largely  through  the  refining 
processes  that  we  have  been  tracing,  and  which  have  been 
going  on  since  these  immense  beds  of  limestone  were  laid 
down  in  the  ocean,  and  while  its  surf  was  lashing  the  shores 
of  this  old  island.  At  Ashland  was  an  open  roadstead  and 
on  its  beach  these  animals  fought  and  played. 

Now  if  we  examine  the  quill  and  feather  of  the  bird 
we  find  their  strength  and  flexibility  come  from  the  silica 
they  contain.  The  nails  on  your  fingers  are  very  akin  to 
the  quill  and  the  scale  of  the  fish,  ditto.  The  waters  of 
the  Mammoth  Hot  Springs  and  the  Geysers  both  carry  and 
distribute  the  mineral  ingredients  essential  for  both  animal 
and  vegetable  life.  The  shell-fish  have  their  covering  of 

the  carbonate  of  lime  for  protection,  but  no  bones.  Man 
and  other  animals  have  been  furnished  with  other  means 
of  defense  and  need  no  shelly  covering,  but  they  have  been 
provided  with  a  framework  of  bones  consisting  largely  of 
the  carbonate  and  phosphate  of  lime. 

If  we  examine  the  mussel  we  find  it  contained  in  such 
a  shell  with  which  it  is  so  closely  indentified  that  it  is 
difficult  to  tell  just  where  the  shelly  substance  ceases  and 
the  flesh  commences.  It  is  made  to  cling  to  the  rocks 
by  means  of  a  bundle  of  fiber  more  of  the  character  of  veg- 
etable than  animal.  This  bundle  of  fiber  is  made  to  pass 
through  an  opening  at  the  knuckle  of  the  shell  and  to  con- 
nect with  the  flesh  by  such  gradations  that  it  is  difficult  to 
tell  where  the  fiber  ceases  and  the  flesh  commences.  The 
barnacle  has  its  covering  of  the  carbonate  of  lime  also 
with  which  it  is  so  closely  identified  that  separation  kills 
the  animal.  The  barnacle  has  a  beak  like  a  bird  except 
that  it  is  separated  vertically  instead  of  horizontally.  It 
has  small  beady  eyes  and  can  move  its  head  ~o  as  to  des- 
cribe  half   a   circle. 

The  jellyfish,  sometimes  called  the  sunfish,  is  a  mass 
of  gelatine  and  resembles  in  look  and  feel,  that  vegetable 
substance  we  found  along  the  banks  of  the  Hot  Springs 
and  in  the  pools  of  the  geysers.  We  saw  thousands  of 
these  creatures  along  the  beach  on  our  trip  from  Empire 
City  to  the  Umpqua;  if  you  step  on  it  there  is  little  resist- 
ance and  the  foot  crushes  through  it  as  it  did  through  the 
vegetable  jelly  mass  at  the  Hot  Springs.  If  you  place  the 
jellyfish  in  the  sun,  the  water  will  be  evaporated  and  only 
a  small  residue  of  carbonate  and  phosphate  of  lime,  a  little 
silica,  a  small  portion  of  common  salt  and  earthy  matter 
will  be  left,  which  if  placed  under  pressure  with  heat  be- 


AND  MARBLE   HALLS  OP  OREGON.  131 

cones  a  rock.  The  same  treatment  of  the  flesh  of  all  the 
shell  fishes  produce  the  same  result.  So  that  we  have  the 
same  result  from  like  treatment  of  either  the  vegetal  or 
animal  substances.  All  these  forms  come  from  the  inor- 
ganic and  under  proper  conditions  become  organic,  and 
when  the  conditions  are  again  reversed  they  return  to  the 
inorganic.  Of  course  we  cannot  in  this  way  trace  or  ac- 
count for  the  vital  fluid,  or  life  germ,  but  we  must  recognize 
our  kinship  to  all  material  things.  We  are  made  to  fee 
that  if  we  would  follow  the  injunction,  "know  thyself"  we 
must  become  students  of  nature. 


Chapter  XV. 

THE  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON— EXPLORING   PRE- 
HISTORIC WONDERS  IN  ETERNAL  DARKNESS — 
INIMITABLE  DECORATIONS  IN  CARBONATE 
OF  LIME. 

"Joaquin  Miller,  the  Poet  of  the  Sierras",  the  Hoii. 
Jefferson  Myers  of  Portland,  and  the  writer,  met  at  Grants 
Pass,  Oregon,  on  the  3d  day  of  August,  1907,  enroute  to 
explore  the  great  caves  of  Josephine  county,  situated  about 
forty  miles  southerly  from  that  city,  near  the  California  line 
and  in  the  heart  of  the  Siskiyou  mountains.  The  Commercial 
Club  and  business  people  of  Grants  Pass  rendered  us  much 
assistance  and  extended  courtesies  for  which  acknowledg- 
ment should  be  made.  To  Mr.  Andrews,  the  Secretary, 
we  are  especially  indebted. 

On  the  following  afternoon  Mr.  Tom  Gillmore,  the 
liveryman,  drove  us  to  "Johns",  a  farm  house  hotel  situated 
in  the  heart  of  Williams  Creek  valley  about  twenty  miles? 
away.  They  had  been  notified  by  phone  of  our  coming  and 
we  found  a  royal  supper  awaiting  us. 

We  remained  over  night  and  cannot  soon  forget  it. 
The  place  is  an  ideal  one.  Farm  houses,  orchards,  barns, 
well  with  marble  curbing,  flowers  in  profusion,  the  great 
mountains  in  the  near  distance  sending  down  many  streams 
of  clear,  cold  water  that  lent  its  music  to  the  stillness  of 
the  evening,  and  we  occupying  the  center  of  one  of  the 
most  charming  little  valleys  in  existence  together  with 
the  company,  spirit  of  comradeship  and  perfect  weather 
made  this,  our  first  evening  out,  a  most  delightful  one. 
We  sat  on  the  porch  in  the  cool  breezes  laden  with  the  per- 
fume of  flowers,  ripening  grain  and  new  mown  hay,  chat- 
ting with  the  hostess  and  her  two  daughters  until  near  ten 
o'clock,  and  enjoyed  the  recitations  the  poet  gave,  some- 
times of  his  experiences  and  travels  and  anon  running  off 
into  sentiment  inspired  by  his  poetic  fancy  and  surround- 
ings. The  little  girls  were  in  love  with  the  venerable  poet; 
they  all  are  when  such  occasions  and  environment  open 
the  inner  sanctum  and  reveal  the  real  man.  The  week 
we  spent  together  in  the  wilds,  and  which  I  shall  attempt 
to    describe,    was    one    to    be    remembered.         "Jeff"    and    1 


AND  MARBLE   HALLS  OF  OREGON.  133 

are  no  less  lovers  of  nature  than  is  the  poet,  but  were  more 
liable  to  explode  our  admiration,  while  "Joaquin"  effer- 
vesced. We  were  congenial  and  nature  smiled  on  a  trio  of 
spirits  that  enjoyed  and  loved  it. 

The  following  morning  dawned  in  splendor  and  our 
hospitable  land-lady  had  an  early  breakfast,  which  in  its 
quality  vied  with  the  supper  of  the  evening  before;  fried 
chicken  and  many  a  delicacy.  I  cannot  take  time  to  des- 
cribe this  beautiful  valley;  a  chapter  would  be  required, 
and  besides  we  have  already  viewed  it  from  the  summit  of 
Little  Grayback,  in  a  former  chapter.  Our  team  was  soon 
ready  to  drive  us  to  the  head  of  wagon  navigation  at 
the  upper  end  of  the  valley,  seven  miles  further  on.  Here 
we  met  John  H.  Kincaid,  packer  and  guide.  "Jeff"  and  1 
'hit  the  trail"  and  left  "Joaquin"  and  Kincaid  to  follow. 
For  the  first  five  or  six  miles  our  trail  was  good,  through 
a  fine  forest,  with  an  occasional  outlook  over  canyons  and 
mountain  billows.  About  noon  we  reached  Grayback  Creek, 
a  rushing  mountain  torrent,  and  while  awaiting  the  pack- 
train  we  tried  to  beguile  the  festive  trout,  but  without 
success.  Here  we  lunched,  quaffed  this  clear,  ice  cold 
water  and  breathed  deeply  of  the  mountain  air.  An  hour's 
rest  and  again  the  trail,  this  time  all  together.  Our  course 
was  now  west  over  Meadows  mountain  and  for  the  first 
three  miles  was  a  strenuous,  continuous  climb  up  a  steep 
ascent,  until  we  reached  an  altitude  of  at  least  five  thousand 
feet,  thence  downward  for  about  two  miles  and  two  thous- 
and feet  lower,  when  we  reached  our  destination,  about 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  and  about  twelve  miles  from 
where  we  left  the  wagon.  F.  M.  Nickerson  had  been  tele- 
phoned to  at  Kerbyville  to  meet  us  at  the  caves,  also  to 
act  as  guide  through  the  labyrinths.  He  came  in  about 
an  hour  later  as  hungry  as  a  bear  after  a  walk  of  twenty 
miles.  He  and  Kincaid  are,  perhaps,  the  only  men  who 
are  thoroughly  familiar  with  these  underground  passages 
and  we  can  heartily  recommend  them  both. 

These  caverns  were  discovered  by  Elijah  Davidson, 
while  hunting  bear  in  these  mountains  in  1874,  he  chased 
one  into  the  lower  entrance.  The  first  effort  at  exploration 
was  made  in  187  7  by  our  guide,  Nickerson,  Elijah  David- 
son and  John  M.  Chapman,  who  entered  at  the  lower  open- 
ing, the  upper  one  then  being  unknown.  Homer  and  Er- 
nest Harkness,  two  brothers,  took  a  squatter's  claim  at 
the  lower  entrance  in  1880.  The  land  being  unsurveyed  they 
could  not  acquire  title.  During  the  next  two  years  these 
two   brothers  spent  about   a  thousand  dollars   in   enlarging 


134  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

passages  between  such  chambers  as  they  had  discovered, 
so  that  they  could  be  entered.  They  also  built  the  first 
trail,  but  the  country  was  too  sparsely  settled  to  make  their 
enterprise  pay  and  the  day  of  tourists  had  not  yet  arrived. 
At  that  time  the  nearest  point  to  the  railroad  was  about 
two  hundred  miles.  They  became  discouraged  and  aban- 
doned their  undertaking  with  a  very  limited  knowledge  of 
these  underground  palaces.  In  18  87  our  guide  Nickerson 
and  A.  J.  Henderson  took  possession  of  the  caves  and  in- 
corporated a  company  for  their  further  exploitation.  They 
went  about  their  work  methodically  and  attracted  the  at- 
tention of  "Captain"  A.  J.  Smith  who  posed  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  unlimited  capital.  The  "Captain"  was  sur- 
charged with  caloric  and  evolved  hot  air  as  a  dynamo  does 
electricity.  The  people  in  the  nearby  valleys  became  en- 
thused and  the  "Captain"  proceeded  to  action.  He  secured 
a  bond  from  Nickerson  and  his  partners,  employed  surveyors 
to  lay  out  roads  and  trails;  hired  men  to  further  explore 
and  develop  the  caverns;  bought  provision  and  supplies, 
erected  cabins  and  put  gates  at  the  entrances.  These 
deep  mountain  recesses  all  at  once  took  on  the  airs  of  a 
military  camp  and  long  accounts  grew  on  the  books  of  the 
nearest  merchants.  Mountaineers  toiled  and  sweated  a  mile 
or  more  under  ground,  but  the  doughty  "Captain"  could 
never  be  induced  to  enter  the  dark  chambers  that  were 
being  opened  up.  Devious  and  various  methods  for  stav- 
ing off  creditors  were  resorted  to.  In  this  way,  month 
after  month  his  liabilities  grew  until  he  had  incurred  in- 
debtedness for  labor  and  supplies,  to  the  amount  of  several 
thousand  dollars  and  then  the  "Captain"  disappear- 
ed. Kincaid  and  Nickerson  thus  put  in  many  weary 
months  in  the  bowels  of  this  great  mountain  and  for  more 
than  a  dozen  years  have  been  whistling  for  their  pay,  and 
praying  for  the  rest  of  the  "Captain's"  soul.  This  is  the 
way  they  learned  the  labyrinthine  mazes,  of  these  Marble 
Halls,  miles  under  ground.  Such  is  the  story  as  told  to 
us.  Our  guides  long  ago  earned  the  fees  they  get  for 
acting  as  guides  and  are  past  masters  in  the  art  of  tracing 
these  dark  passages. 

There  are  two  entrances,  one  almost  at  the  bed  of  the 
c?nyon,  and  another  about  three  hundred  feet  higher  and 
between  a  quarter  and  a  half  mile  to  the  southeast.  The 
lower  entrance  is  the  larger  one  and  is  the  outlet  for  a  fine 
stream  of  water,  which  immediately  after  escaping  from 
Plutonian  darkness,  commences  a  series  of  leaps  and  plunges 
down  a  rugged  canyon  through  one  of  Oregon's  finest  for- 


AND  MARBLE    HALLS  OF  OREGON.  i::> 

ests.  Entering  this  opening  with  lantern  "and  candles, 
one  of  the  guides  ahead  and  one  behind,  we  proceeded  up 
the  stream  by  a  tortuous  course  for  about  a  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  where  we  found  a  ladder.  To  this  point  the 
cavern  is  fron  ten  to  fifty  feet  wide  and  from  fifteen  to 
seventy-five  feet  high.  There  are  but  few  decorations, 
but  a  sense  of  rugged  grandeur  absorbs  the  adventurer. 
We  mounted  the  ladder  to  a  narrow  shelf  twelve  or  fifteen 
feet  above  the  stream,  which  we  could  hear  gurgling  on 
merrily  below  us,  a  long  narrow  crack  or  fissure  extending 
down  to  it.  From  the  entrance  to  the  ladder  the  Poet 
named  "Watson's  Gorge"  and  I  bowed  to  the  compliment. 
Our  course  for  hundreds  of  yards  further  was  devious,  and 
recognizing  the  strenuosity  of  it  "Jeff"  named  it  "Roose- 
velt's Rough  Ride."  Our  course  lay  through  cracks  and 
fissures,  narrow,  crooked,  with  angular  turns,  sometimes 
opening  into- chambers  of  considerable  size,  with  narrow- 
passages  leading  away  in  the  darkness.  At  one  time, 
Aickerson  who  was  leading,  became  confused  and  wandered 
about,  chasing  weird  shadows  first  into  one  passage  then  into 
anotner.  Kincaid's  little  dog  follows  him  every  trip  into 
the  caves  and.  at  once  indicated  his  canine  sagacity  by  dog 
talk  punctuated  by  erratic  movements  of  his  stubby  tail,  and 
turning  into  another  passage  said  as  plainly  as  a  dog  could, 
"here,  you  fellows,  this  way,"  we  followed  and  found  that 
the  dog  was  right.  This  place  we  called  "Paradise  Lost." 
After  something  like  half  a  mile  of  wandering  through 
these  narrow  ways,  we  ascended  sharply  over  irregular 
broken  fragments  and  saw  light  through  a  small  opening. 
We  squeezed  through  and  found  ourselves  in  a  good-sized 
chamber  just  inside  the  upper  entrance. 

We  were  now  at  the  threshold  of  that  wonderful  laby- 
rinth of  halls,  corridors  and  chambers,  cut  out  of  marble 
by  the  action  of  water  charged  with  carbonic  acid.  This 
is  not  a  great  cave  or  cavern  after  the  style  of  the  Mammoth 
Cave  in  Kentucky,  but  a  great  marble  mountain  honey- 
combed with  innumerable  passages,  halls,  corridors,  and 
chambers,  decorated  in  the  most  gorgeous  fashion  with  an 
inimitable  architecture  in  crystals  of  the  carbonate  of  lime. 
The  Mammoth  Cave  in  Kentucky  is  great  for  the  size  of 
its  chambers,  but  is  emphasized  poverty  as  to  its  adorn- 
ments. This  mountain  is  a  labyrinth  of  chambers  from 
3  few  feet  in  size  to  others  of  great  dimensions,  and  all 
decorated  in  endless  profusion  and  beauty.  From  tin1 
great  number  and  "complexity  of  its  chambers,  corridors 
and  passageways,  the  Poet  suggested,  and  we  heartily  sic- 


136  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

onded,  a  new  name:  "The  Marble  Halls  of  Oregon."  It 
is  to  be  hoped  that  this  name  may  be  adopted  by  some 
suitable  and  formal   action. 

Proceeding  from  the  upper  entrance  our  general  direc- 
tion into  the  mountain  is  to  the  southeast  for  a  mile  and 
three  quarters  to  two  miles  and  our  course  is  a  very  erratic 
one.  From  the  entrance  our  descent  is  sharp  for  about 
seventy-five  feet,  where  stalactities  and  stalagmites  first 
appear.  Turning  now  to  the  left  a  still  further  descent  of 
about  fifty  feet  brings  us  into  "Adam's  Tomb";  gray  and 
somber,  with  strength  rather  than  beauty  depicted  in  its 
adornment.  There  is  no  water  dripping  in  this  chamber, 
hence  it  has  a  desolate,  dead  appearance  and  musty  odor. 
At  the  southern  edge  of  this  chamber  is  a  dark  forbidding 
hole  which  the  guides  call  "Jacob's  Well."  Kincaid  fear- 
lessly clambered  into  it  and  we  followed,  clinging  to  rocky 
projections  until  after  a  sheer  descent  of  forty  or  fifty  i'eel 
we  came  into  a  chamber,  irregular  in  outline,  about  one 
hundred  feet  long,  from  ten  to  fifty  feet  wide  and  from 
fifteen  to  fifty  feet  high.  Everywhere  in  this  room  the 
decorations  are  splendid  for  strength  and  regularity  of 
design  and  are  unlike  any  other  chamber  visited  by  us. 
Returning  now  to  the  main  passage  above,  we  proceed  for 
several  hundred  feet  through  a  corridor,  irregular,  swelling 
here  and  there  to  goodly  proportions  and  anon  contracting 
until  stooping  and  crouching  are  necessary,  but  at  every 
turn  and  angle  the  explorer  is  made  to  utter  exclamations 
oi  surprise  at  the  eccentricities  displayed  in  the  archil ;ecture 
of  these  Marble  Halls,  growing  in  endless  night  for  millions 
of  years,  yet  displaying  the  most  remarkable  tracery  and 
design.  Each  of  these  chambers  were  given  names  sug- 
gested by  some  peculiarity  of  structure  displayed.  "The 
Shark's  Head,"  "Queen's  Chamber,"  "King's  Hall,"  "Niag- 
ara Falls,"  "Joaquin's  Rest",  "Nick's  Bedroom,"  "Jefferson 
Myers  Room"  and  many  others.  We  na.vs  on  through  this 
irregular  corridor  and  in  one  of  the  narrowest  places  find 
a  ladder  and  descend  about  eight  or  ten  feet  into  a  chamber 
well  decorated  which,  having  passed  through,  w^ 
climb  out  by  means  of  another  ladder  twelve  or  fifteen  feel 
high  and  come  into  "Windy  Passage,"  where  a  strong  cur- 
rent of  air  threatens  to  extinguish  our  candles  and  some- 
times does  so.  This  passage  is  long,  sinuous  and  small, 
sometimes  requiring  one  to  crawl  on  hands  and  knees. 
Then  we  come  into  the  "Theatrical  Stage",  with  gorgeous 
curtains  and  draperies,  fluted  columns  and  marble  pedestals. 
Here  any  one  may  sing  and  it   will  sound   musical.        Even 


AND  MARBLE   HALLS  OP  OREGON.  137 

Jeff  and  I  sang  a  duet  with  stunning  effect.  With  a  piece 
of  metal  one  can  run  the  scale  on  marble  crystals  pendant 
from  the  ceiling  and  produce  tones  of  exquisite  sweetness. 
Next  we  come  into  "Joaquin  Miller's  Room".  This  is  one 
of  the  most  profusely  decorated  chambers  in  the  whole 
labyrinth,  stalactites  and  stalagmites  are  in  profusion,  long 
slender  tubes  as  clear  as  glass,  not  larger  than  pipe  stem? 
and  so  fragile  that  great  care  is  required  in  handling  them. 
A  broad  table  projects  from  the  wall  four  feet  above  the 
floor,  about  twenty  feet  long  and  about  six  feet  wide,  with 
drapery  long  and  delicate,  snow  white  and  glistening,  reach- 
ing from  the  table  to  the  floor,  and  except  in  one  place, 
preventing  ingress  to  the  museum  of  beauties  beneath. 
There  is  a  marble  basin  filled  with  water,  so  clear  that  it? 
presence  is  not  easily  detected.  This  basin  is  lined  with 
the  most  delicate,  frost-like  crystals,  so  fine  and  filmy  that 
with  your  finger  you  can  plough  a  furrow  through  them. 
Looking  beyond  this  little  crystal  lake,  these  delicate  tubes, 
pedestals  and  statuettes,  continue  as  far  as  your  glimmering 
candle  will  permit  your  vision  to  penetrate.  These  beau- 
ties are  protected  from  that  vandalism  which  has  shame- 
fully desecrated  many  of  its  chambers.  Above  the  table- 
are  shelves  of  like  character.  Here  the  Plutonian  designer 
has  taxed  complexity  and  confusion  in  stocking  a  unique 
toy-shop.  Give  imagination  a  little  play,  distribute  your 
lights  properly  and  then  catalogue  the  infinite  variety  oi 
trinkets  you  will  see  in  this  old  curiosity  house.  In  othe: 
parts  of  this  splendid  room  are  stalactites  from  the  top. 
wedded  to  stalagmites  from  the  bottom,  forming  pillars 
from  ceiling  to  floor  as  if  placed  there  to  support  the  roof 
We  had  some  railroad  fuses,  red  and  green  which  when 
lighted  burned  for  ten  minutes.  We  lighted  one  in  this- 
chamber  and  placing  the  venerable  Poet,  with  his  long  hair 
and  flowing  beard,  in  the  background,  retreated  down  the 
corridor  a  hundred  feet  or  so  and  watched  the  startling 
effect.  The  uncanny  red  glow  slowly  filled  that  wonderful 
place  with  a  wierd  effulgence.  The  Poet  looked  like 
Father  Time  calling  the  world  to  judgment.  Every  pend- 
and  crystal  seemed  tipped  with  fire,  and  crystalline  masse? 
in  the  deep  recesses  were  suffused  with  a  colored  glow  and 
brilliancy  not  to  be  described.  "Nick's  Slide",  a  slippery 
chute,  barely  large  enough  for  a  good  sized  man  to  squeeze 
through,  extending  downward  for  about  a  hundred  feet  with 
a  hole  at  the  bottom,  said  to  be  two  hundred  and  fifty  feer 
deep,  was  near  by.  We  had  been  at  the  bottom  of  tht 
slide,  and  now,  in  the  effulgence  of  this  rose  tinted  light 


138  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

with  a  thrilling  sense  of  our  unusual  situation,  we  nervously 
glanced  at  it,  feeling  it  to  be  a  fitting  time  and  place  for 
Old  Nick  himself  to  appear  from  the  greater  depths  where 
His  Satanic  Majesty  might  find  a  suitable  abiding  place. 
The  chamber  soon  filled  with  smoke  tinged  as  all  else 
with  the  red  glow;  the  light  began  to  fade  and  in  the  dis- 
solving view  the  luminous  glamour  blended  with  the  dark- 
ness and  Pluto  dropped  his  dark  curtain  on  our  strange  en- 
tertainment. 

From  this  point  our  course  bore  southerly  for  about 
three  hundred  feet  through  a  great  corridor,  fifty  or  sixty 
feet  wide  and  from  twenty  to  forty  feet  high.  This  led  us 
into  what  has  been  called  the  "Ghost  Chamber,"  renamed 
by  us,  "Solomon's  Temple."  We  could  only  guess  at  the 
dimensions,  but  our  guides  told  us  it  was  three  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  long,  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  wide  and  eighty 
feet  high.  The  floor  of  this  great  room  is  about  forty  feet 
below  the  corridor  through  which  we  had  just  passed.  The 
descent  to  it  is  over  irregular  masses  of  marble  that  have 
fallen  from  the  top.  There  is  not  much  of  decoration  here, 
but  the  magnitude,  darkness  and  stillness  gets  onto  ones 
nerves.  Along  the  further  wall  of  this  great  cavern  we 
again  came  upon  our  stream  and  named  it  "The  Stygian." 
Here  was  a  very  interesting  change.  The  stream  had  cut 
a  channel  four  or  five  feet  deep  through  a  bed  of  clay  and 
washed  gravel  upon  which  the  marble  deposit,  at  this  place 
seems  to  be  bedded;  yet  it  can  hardly  be  seen  for  reasons 
I  need  not  now  state.  The  floor  in  the  furthest  end  of  this 
great  chamber  reached  by  us,  is  covered  to  a  considerable 
depth  (how  deep  we  had  no  means  of  determining)  with  this 
bed  of  clay  and  gravel,  frosted  over  with  a  coating  of  the 
carbonate  of  lime  (stalagmite),  from  one  to  three  inches 
thick,  the  underside  of  which  consists  of  delicate  frost-like 
crystals,  discolored  to  a  dark  yellowish  brown  from  the 
clay  and  the  iron  oxide  it  contains.  I  desired  very  much 
to  make  a  close  examination  of  this  clay  and  gravel  but 
was  not  prepared  to  do  so. 

At  the  eastern  end  of  this  great  room  stands  a  ladder 
eighteen  feet  long,  resting  against  the  solid  marble  wall. 
The  ladder  did  not  seem  to  be  safe  for  the  heavier  men,  but 
Kincaid  suggested  that  I  could  make  it  if  I  wished  to  take 
the  risk  and  that  it  was  well  worth  while.  The  guides 
never  tell  you  what  you  are  coming  to,  but  leave  you  to 
enjoy  the  sensation  of  surprise.  I  at  once  agreed  to  follow, 
saying  that  "it  is  what  I  came  for."  Kincaid  led  the 
way,  I  followed  and   "Jeff"   held  the  ladder,  at  the  top  of 


AND  MARBLE  HALLS  OF  OREGON.  150 

which  wo  found  a  narrow  passage  inclining  upward  at  an 
angle  of  thirty  or  forty  degrees,  smooth,  slippery  with  the 
constant  dripping  of  water  and  with  precarious  foot  and 
hand-holds.  Laboriously  we  worked  our  way  upward 
through  this  dark,  silent  passage  lighted  only  by  the  feeble 
rays  of  the  candles  we  carried,  until  we  estimated  our  dis- 
tance to  be  one  hundred  feet  above  the  foot  of  the  ladder. 
Here  we  found  one  of  the  most  wonderful  spectacles  hi 
the  whole  labyrinth.  A  circular  chamber,  not  more  than 
twenty  feet  in  diameter  and,  according  to  Kincaid's  state- 
ment two  hundred  feet  high.  Our  candles  were  not  suffi- 
cient to  reveal  the  top,  and  every  foot  of  its  inner  walls  were 
decorated  as  far  as  the  eye  could  penetrate,  with  clusters 
of  crystalized  carbonates,  snow  white  and  resembling,  more 
than  anything  else  that  I  can  think  of,  great  white  swans, 
two  or  three  feet  across  the  back,  wings  drooping,  every 
feather  distinct,  standing  cut  as  if  in  upward  flight,  one 
preceding  another  until  the  view  is  lost  in  the  darkness; 
or  a  flock  of  angels  that  had  been  arrested  in  their  flight  and 
changed  to  marble.  Water  was  everywhere  dripping  and 
glistened  like  diamonds  at  the  point  of  every  feather. 

I  am  not  superstitious  but  confess  to  a  queer  sensations 
everything  was  so  unusual;  two  miles  under  a  vast  moun- 
tain; more  than  a  thousand  feet  of  earth  and  rock  above 
us;  in  this  narrow  circular  chamber,  so  high  that  the  ceil- 
ing could  not  be  seen;  reminded  of  angels  by  the  pure 
white,  wonderful  architecture  and  stillness,  where  perhaps 
a  million  years  of  darkness  has  held  undisputed  sway  and 
no  sound,  save  the  soft  drip,  drip,  drip  of  water,  the  unseen 
and  almost  noiseless  architect  and  builder  of  these  inimit- 
able Marble  Halls.  In  the  thought  of  that  time  in  the 
vastness  of  long  ago,  when  these  deposits  of  lime  were 
being  formed  on  the  bed  of  the  ocean,  where  the  denizens 
of  the  deep  once  played,  forms  of  life  long  extinct  and  of 
that  time  since  when  these  great  mountains  have  risen 
above  the  surface  of  the  ocean  and  continents  and  islands 
have  been  made  and  lost,  one  may  easily  forget  himself  in 
speculative  imagination.  One  wonders  if  at  the  source  of 
the  heavily  charged  waters  that  now  issue  from  the  Mam- 
moth Hot  Springs  of  the  Yellowstone  there  are  caverns 
like  these;  whether  the  water  here  was  ever  hot  like  that, 
and  whether  the  temperature  and  steam  that  filled  this 
honey-combed,  marble  mountain  arose  in  clouds  from  holes 
and  fractures  in  its  sides. 

Returning  to  our  companions  in  ''Solomon's  Temple" 
we  climbed  back  into  the  corridor,  and  turning  to  the  left 


140  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

for  a  hundred  feet  or  so,  entered  another  chute.  Ascend- 
ing at  an  angle  of  twenty  or  thirty  degrees  through  a  cir- 
cuitous, tortuous  passage  for  about  sixty  feet,  we  came  into 
"Jefferson  Myers'  room",  which  is  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  long  and  from  ten  to  forty  feet  wide  and  of  vary- 
ing height.  At  the  furtherest  point  this  chamber  narrows 
to  dimensions  which  prevent  further  progress,  but  does 
not  entirely  close  and  doubtless  opens  into  other  chambers. 
In  this  chamber  are  splendid  decorations,  stalagmite,  stal- 
actites, marble  basins  lined  with  crystals  of  the  greatest 
delicacy  and  filled  with  water,  so  pure  and  clear  that  touch 
is  necessary  to  detect  its  presence.  Here  some  of  the 
sweetest  tones  are  produced  by  tapping  these  snow-white 
pendants  with  a  piece  of  metal.  At  the  side  of  this 
chamber  is  an  opening  large  enough  to  drive  a  horse 
through,  connecting  with  "Solomon's  Temple"  and  about 
sixty  feet  above  its  floor.  If  one  were  to  stumble  out  of  this 
opening  in  the  dark  he  would  have  a  sheer  drop  of  sixty 
feet. 

We  spent  the  larger  part  of  four  days  in  our  explora- 
tions and  are  assured  that  there  are  many  miles  of  passages, 
corridors  and  chambers  that  have  never  been  entered. 
By  enlarging  passages,  as  many  of  those  examined  by  us 
have  been  enlarged,  glories  in  lime  will  be  opened  and  ex- 
plored. From  the  bottom  of  the  deepest  chamber  to  the 
top  of  the  highest  visited  by  us,  is  almost  seven  hundred 
feet  and  between  these  points  the  mountain  is  honeycombed 
with  innumerable  chambers,  as  I  believe,  only  a  fragment 
of  which  have  ever  been  witnessed  by  human  eyes.  There 
is  no  sign  of  life  to  be  found  in  these  caverns  and  no  fossils, 
unless  an  examination  of  the  clay  and  gravel  mentioned 
shall  disclose  them.  That  they  are  much  more  extensive 
than  can  at  present  be  determined,  is  shown  by  the  fact  that 
numerous  openings  in  the  side  of  the  mountain  further 
down  the  canyon  discharge  volumes  of  water  from  marble 
cliffs.  Again  at  every  turn  in  our  explorations  we  saw 
openings  leading  away  into  the  darkness,  too  small  to  enter, 
but  which  we  judged  opened  to  wider  passages  and  large 
chambers.  These  caverns  are  within  a  government  forest 
reserve  and  fortunately  can  be  protected  from  vandalism. 
We  caused  the  attention  of  the  authorities  to  be  directed  to 
them  and  have  some  assurance  that  they  will  not  be  only 
retained  by  the  government,  but  that  a  forest  ranger  shall 
be  stationed  there  who  shall  act  as  guide  and  protect  these 
decorations  from  breakage  and  from  the  smoke  of  torches. 
This  spot   ought   to   be   made  a   National   Park   like   Crater 


AND  MARBLE   HALLS  OF  OREGON.  141 

Lake  and  at  least  a  township  of  the  splendid  forest  that 
surrounds  them  should  forever  be  preserved  from  civilized 
savagery  and  greed.  The  surroundings  are  wonderfully 
romantic  and  grand.  Mountains,  forests,  canyons  and 
cliffs  are  gigantic.  Geologically  it  is  one  of  the  oldest 
formations  on  the  continent  and  shows  extreme  metamor- 
phism.  It  is  true  that  all  of  this  limestone  has  not  become 
marble,  but  much  of  it  has  and  of  a  fine  quality  and  beauti- 
fully  variegated. 

Our  last  thirty-six  hours  at  the  caves  was  during  a 
continuous  downpour  of  rain.  We  had  prepared  a  shack 
from  some  boards,  the  remnants  of  "Captain"  Smith's 
operations  and  managed  to  keep  partly  dry,  but  not  without 
an  experience  to  be  remembered.  A  party  of  men  and 
women  came  just  before  we  were  ready  to  start  away.  They 
had  been  caught  on  Meadows  mountain  and  had  camped 
out  in  the  rain  and  came  to  our  camp  about  nine  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  wet  and  hungry.  We  prepared  some 
breakfast  for  them  and  after  drying  them  by  the  fire,  accom- 
panied them  through  part  of  the  caverns.  Our  horses  had 
gotten  away  from  us  and  about  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, the  rain  still  pouring,  Nickerson,  Myers,  the  Poet 
and  I  started  down  the  mountain  to  the  settlements  on 
Sucker  Creek,  six  or  seven  miles  away.  The  trail  was  over- 
grown with  brush  and  choked  with  fallen  logs.  About 
six  o'clock  we  reached  a  miner's  cabin  where  we  left  the 
Poet  to  enjoy  the  hospitality  of  one  of  these  noblemen  of 
the  wilds — a  Mr.  Barrett — and  we  went  on  two  miles  fur- 
ther and  found  splendid  accommodations.  The  next  morn- 
ing we  sent  a  horse  for  the  Poet  and  telephoned  to  Kerby- 
ville  for  a  team.  The  distance  from  Kerby  was  thirteen 
miles.  By  two  o'clock  we  drove  into  that  little  burg  as 
chipper  as  larks.  The  Poet  could  not  say  enough  in  praise 
of  his  host  of  the  night,  and  certainly  no  weary  and  be- 
dragged  wayfarers  ever  found  more  hospitality  than  was 
given  us  by  Mr.  Grimmet  and  his  wife,  with  whom  we  stay- 
ed. That  good  lady  even  fitted  us  out  with  dry  clothes 
and  had  ours  hung  about  the  stove  to  be  dried  for  our 
departure  next  day.  Our  approach  had  been  heralded 
about  Kerby  and  nearly  the  whole  town  was  out  to  greet 
us.  The  expedition  was  in  every  way  a  success  and  at 
seven  o'clock  that  evening  we  reached  Grants  Pass,  tired 
but  happy. 


Chapter  XVI. 
A  REVIEW  AND  CONCIA  SIOX. 

We  have  at  some  length  viewed  more  than  ten  thousand 
square  miles  of  territory  of  Southwestern  Oregon  from  its 
mountain  tops  and  in  its  valleys.  We  have  overlooked  as 
much  more  of  Northern  California,  and  have  identified 
mountain  peaks  more  than  a  hundred  miles  distant.  That 
portion  of  the  Old  Island  within  the  limits  of  California  is 
in  many  respects  identical  with  its  territory  in  Oregon, 
while  in  other  respects,  dependent- on  climate,  is  entirely 
different.  The  territory  with  which  we  have  had  especially 
to  do  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Calipooia  mountains, 
on  the  east  by  the  Cascades,  on  the  south  by  the  State  of 
California  and  on  the  west  by  the  Pacific  ocean.  It  has 
therefore  all  the  varieties  of  climate  that  are  embraced 
between  the  sea  level  and  an  altitude  of  almost  ten  thousand 
feet.  In  its  valleys  strawberries  ripen  until  Thanksgiving, 
and  its  roses  bloom  until  Christmas  and  sometimes  later, 
while  at  its  highest  points  the  snows  never  melt.  In  its 
greatest  altitudes  the  flora  is  akin  to  that  found  in  Arctic 
regions,  while  in  the  valleys  some  species  of  semi-tropical 
vegetation  thrive  fairly  well.  From  many  points  of  van- 
tage we  have  been  able  to  read  the  records  from  cretaceous 
times  to  the  present.  Within  the  territory  encompassed 
we  have  the  remarkable  fact  of  single  valleys  that  are  now 
being  enriched  with  the  soils  of  all  the  periods  embraced. 
From  the  Cascade  Range  Rogue  River  Valley  is  drawing 
soils  by  surface  erosion  from  very  recent  geological  up- 
heavals and  deposits,  while  from  the  Siskiyous  it  is  drawing 
by  surface  erosion  soils  from  a  formation  so  old  that  its 
geological  designation  involves  a  shadowy  uncertainty  of 
the  past.  On  these  mountains  have  grown  many  species  of 
vegetation  that  were  doubtless  extinct  before  the  fossil 
bearing  sandstone  of  the  old  shore  line  was  laid  down,  the 
fossils  of  which  are  of  life  also  long  since  extinct.  On 
this  Old  Island  we  find  trees  still  flourishing  that  so  far 
as  I  have  been  able  to  learn  grow  nowhere  else.  From 
its  high  mountains  we  traced  the  gold  and  other  metals  that 
have  enriched  its  shoreline.  In  the  magnetic  sands  along 
the  present  sea  beach  platinum  is  found  and  in  other  places 
inland    on   the   Old    Island    this   valuable    product    promises 


AND  MARBLE   HALLS   OF  OREGON.  143 

to  become  a  resource.  We  have  found  its  valleys  wonder- 
fully productive  of  a  great  variety  of  fruits  and  vegetables, 
a  country  that  in  grapes  vies  with  California  and  France 
and  in  peaches,  pears  and  apples  challenges  the  world.  Its 
mountains  are  wonderfully  rich  in  the  precious  and  valuable 
metals  and  minerals.  We  have  seen  that  its  forests  have 
a  world  wide  reputation,  and'  in  their  depths  is  found  a 
sanatorium  tree  to  rich  and  poor  alike.  Certainly  he  who 
has  been  fortunate  enough  to  secure  a  home  here  has  much 
to  be  thankful  for.  Always  in  sight  of  the  diversified  at- 
tractions of  the  mountains  and  where  the  water  is  both 
pure  and  musical,  the  climate  salubrious  and  fruit  and 
flowers  abundant,  he  who  could  not  be  satisfied  would  be 
hard  indeed  to  please.  With  all  the  possibilities  of  that 
appreciation  of  the  aesthetic  in  nature  which  greatly  en- 
hances a  safe  foundation  on  which  to  build  health  and  hap- 
piness in  that  respite  it  furnishes  to  the  one  grown  weary 
with  other  things. 

Thirty-five  years  experience  in  the  Siskiyou  mountains 
has  taught  me  the  psychological  value  of  high  altitude, 
silence,  dense  forests  and  pure  water,  with  the  thoughts 
and  associations  that  can  be  had  under  such  conditions. 
When  sick  or  tired  with  business  cares  or  public  strife  1 
turn  toward  the  Siskiyous  and  delve  into  their  beckoning 
haunts.  I  find  in  the  depths  of  the  canyon  and  forest  a 
quiet  peace.  On  a  mossy  bank  beneath  an  yew  tree's 
shade,  beside  a  foaming  mountain  torrent,  I  stretch  myself 
alone  with  Nature. 

How  cool  and -still  it  is  and  withal  so  joyously  rollick- 
ing and  noisily  delightful.  The  stream  leaps  and  laughs 
and  plunges  in  the  shadow  of  the  gorge  and  overhanging 
branches,  where  grows  the  tiger  lily,  the  dog-wood,  the 
maple,  the  quaking-asp  with  its  leaves  a-quiver,  maiden- 
hair ferns  clinging  to  niches  in  the  granite  walls,  vines 
clambering  over  boulders,  squirrels  chattering  and  scolding 
and  where  the  sun  in  lace-like  films,  sifts  and  filters  through 
dense  foliage,  filling  my  retreat  with  a  sheen  of  subdued 
sunlight,  modified  and  tinted  with  the  greenery  that  half 
shuts  out  the  sense  of  day. 

With  pipe  of  love  and  lovers  reed 
My  muse  comes  to  me  singing, 

And  planted  round  with  goodly  seed 
The  hills  with  joy  are  ringing. 


U4  PREHISTORIC   SISKIYOU   ISLAND 

In  such  a  place  what  dreams  may  come?  Here  Is 
music  too.  All  chords  may  be  heard  in  the  restless  stream 
from  the  softest  touch  to  the  deepest  bass.  The  gentle 
lullaby  tuned  to  the  music  the  pine-tops  make  when  stirred 
by  a  summer  zephyr,  mingle  with  sunshine  and  shadow, 
until  sound,  color  and  the  odor  of  flowers  and  blossoms 
blend  into  one  harmonious  whole,  so  delightfully  conceived 
as  to  suggest  a  solemn  cathedral,  its  altars  and  incense  and 
drowsy  Nature  as  a  worshiper. 

Bubbles   break   on   the   foaming  stream 

And  scatter  sifted  pleasures, 
Throughout  the  realm  of  this  fair  dream, 

This  mystic  realm  of  magic  treasures. 

But  I'm  up  and  on  again  through  the  forest  and  glade, 
climbing  higher  and  higher  still,  filled  with  the  spirit  of 
the  mountain;  up  into  God's  brightest  sunlight  and  purest 
breezes. 

From  everywhere  comes  to  me  a  welcome  borne  on 
Nature's  breath,  sweetened  with  the  odor  of  the  woods,  en- 
livened with  the  winging  whirr  of  the  bee,  the  flutter  of 
pheasant  and  quail.  And  now  I'm  startled  and  stopped  in 
my  wild  wood  scurry  by  the  cracking  of  brush,  and  be- 
hold! as  if  in  kingly  consciousness  of  form  and  grace,  a 
sturdy  buck  with  spreading  antlers;  a  trim  limbed  doe  at 
his  side.  But  a  moment  they  delight  my  eyes,  then  sound- 
ing his  pipe  of  warning,  they  bound  away;  the  forest  closes 
about  their  receding  forms  and  I  see  them  no  more. 

On,  still  I  clamber,  only  halting  now  and  then  for 
breath  or  to  view  the  prospect  from  some  commanding 
point,  or  to  drink  in  the  glorious  majesty  of  the  forest. 
Stately  pines  and  firs  cheer  me  with  their  shade  and  spread 
their  cast-oft*  foliage,  a  soft  carpet  for  my  feet.  All  Nature 
seems  in  a  social  mood  and  though  alone  I'm  blessed  with 
the  best  of  company.  I  stop  and  chat  with  a  giant  pine  oi 
mighty  girth  and  imposing  height.  The  soft  breezes  stir 
his  branches  and  through  his  luxurious  foliage  he  sings  to 
me  a  gentle  song  of  welcome.  I  drop  myself  on  the  soft 
oed  he  has  spread  for  me,  and  turning  my  face  upward 
listen  to  his  story  of  two  thousand  years  of  life.  He  tells 
me  he  was  a  husky  sappling  a  hundred  years  old  when  our 
Savior  was  on  earth.  He  watched  the  flame  and  smoke, 
heard  the  thunderous  sounds  and  felt  the  earth  beneath 
him  shake  when  Vulcan  lit  his  torch  on  Shasta  and  Mc- 
Laughlin, that  now  look  so  beautiful,  and  white,  and  still 


AND  MARBLE   HALLS  OF  OREGON.  145 

In  their  mantles  of  snow.  He  tells  me  that  he  was  a  giant 
of  the  forest  before  any  of  the  present  nations  of  earth 
had  grown  great.  He  had  commenced  to  grow  old  before 
Columbus  discovered  America,  and  had  watched  many  gen- 
erations of  wild  men  come  and  go  before  civilization  came 
to  this  hemisphere.  He  had  long  trembled  in  fear  of 
the  woodman's  axe,  but  now  blesses  the  day  that  made  hij- 
habitat  a  forest  reserve  and  hopes  he  may  lay  his  bonet 
among  his  ancestors  in  the  orderly  way  of  Nature. 

But  now  I've  finished  my  dream  in  this  generous  shade. 
With  a  blessing  from  the  monarch,  I  pursue  my  journey  to- 
ward the  snowbanks.  I  follow  the  pine-clad  ridge,  looking 
ever  and  anon  into  the  depths  on  either  hand,  or  upward 
where 

Siskiyous  crags  are  banked  with  snow, 
On  summits  grand  and  lofty, 

And  shining  peaks  where'er  I  go 
Reflect  the  sunlight  softly. 

The  winds  in  the  tree  tops  sing  to  me  gently  and  the 
sound  of  rushing  water  comes  to  me  from  below.  Now 
and  then  I  climbed  a  nearby  cliff  overlooking  great  depth*- 
or  majestic  heights  and  watch  the  spots  of  sunshine  and 
cloud  shadows  chasing  each  other  in  and  out,  among  the 
giant  pines  and  firs,  picturing  alternately  with  light  and 
shade,  the  hoary  heads  of  these  grandest  monuments  ot 
God.  Up  and  on,  again  and  again,  until  I  stand  on  tht 
summit  of  Ashland  Butte  eight  thousand  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  in  a  rarified  air  and  the  purest  sunlight: 
snow  and  silence  all  about  me  and  more  than  a  thousane 
square  miles  of  mountains  and  valleys  in  view.  Mountaii 
billow  succeeding  mountain  billow  to  the  horizon's  brin'r 
in  every  direction.  Shasta  and  McLaughlin,  Union  Peak. 
Mt.  Theilson,  the  great  cliffs  that  form  the  framework  about 
Crater  Lake,  and  the  Three  Sisters  can  all  be  seen.  Cali- 
fornia and  Oregon  lie  at  my  feet.  Away  below  me  lie 
Shasta  valley  in  California  and  Rogue  River  valley  in  Ore- 
gon, shimmering  in  the  silvery  sheen  of  a  summer's  heat 
indebted  for  their  fertility  and  beauty  to  the  snow  banks- 
at  the  mountain  tops.  At  the  northern  foot  of  this  might? 
slope  nestles  the  little  city  of  Ashland  and  beyond  it  rise- 
Grizzly  mountain  with  its  ancient  records. 

One  cannot  conceive  of  the  muificence  of  the  bounties- 
of  Providence  until  he  has  gone:  into  her  great  storehouse 
with  his  soul  tuned  to  the  environment.  la  the  deptlu 
of  these  massive  piles  Nature's  hoards- of.  minerals  are  kept 


146  PREHISTORIC    SISKIYOU    ISLAND 

from  hence  go  leaping  and  sparkling,  the  rill,  rivulet  and 
river  that  make  the  valleys  blossom.  Here  are  the  forests 
that  supply  man's  multitudinous  wants  in  commerce  and 
trade.  Here  is  a  sanatorium  for  the  sick  and  God's  great 
paradox,  an  oratorio  in  silence. 

Here  from  this  lofty  summit  I  view  a  wonderful  pano- 
rama. To  me  comes  a  feeling  of  reverence  and  peace  and 
the  ''small  still  voice"  thrills  me.  Here  is  a  great  enter- 
tainment where  the  earth,  the  air  and  sky  are  the  stage 
settings,  the  clouds  are  the  curtains  and  the  music  of  still- 
ness a  divine  revelation.  "My  sensibilities  are  all  awake, 
yet  my  inner  consciousness  is  bathed  in  a  subtle  something 
which  seems  to  be  independent  of  the  senses  and  I  am  re- 
minded of  John  Fisk's  book,  "Through  Nature  to  God." 
My  muse  again  whispers  reverently, 

To  know  of  God,  draw  near  to  Nature, 

Her  truths  are  the  keys  to  every  soul. 
To  see  in  Nature's  every  feature, 

Love's  limpid,  laughing,  flowing  bowl, 
Is  but  to  feel  that  God  still  liveth 

And  all  around  are  parts  of  Him. 
To  him  that  loves,  the  Master  giveth. 

A  bowl  that's  filled  beyond  the  brim. 

In  these  deep  solitudes  the  spirit  of  the  mountain  is 
ever  about  us.  It  whispers  in  the  blue  sky,  scintillates 
and  sparkles  in  the  witcheries  of  the  night;  it  calls  from  the 
depths  of  the  forest;  gurgles  and  sings  in  the  laughing 
waters;  it  thunders  from  the  heights  and  ever  invites  imag- 
ination to  wander  in  subterranean  caverns,  and  to  tell  of 
the  things  it  sees  and  hears. 

Again  1  return  to  the  monarch  pine  at*  1  stretch  my 
weary  frame  for  delicious  repose.  As  J  lie  listlessly  be- 
neath the  generous  shade  and  give  myself  unreservedly  to 
the  subtle  influences  that  environ  me,  I  seem  to  become  a 
part  of  the  all-pervading  spirit  of  these  solitudes.  By 
gentle  degrees  the  hamperings  of  my  human  self  are  loosen- 
ed and  fall  away;  the  gentle  movements  about  me  become 
music;  the  odors  become  incense;  crags  and  peaks,  forests 
and  slopes,  become  works  of  art  finer  than  human  hands 
can  draw  and  the  movement  of  running  water  is  the  motion 
and  murmur  of  a  countless  throng  which  is  at  once  many 
.and  one.  As  my  body  lies  thus  stripped  of  the  animation 
that  at  other  times  dominates  it,  and  the  soul  released 
floats  into  its  realm  of  mystery,  there  come  visions  to  me 


AND   MARBLE    HALLS  OF  OREGON.  147 

down  the  aeons  of  ages  I  seem  to  have  traveled,  and  an  in- 
definable acceptance  of  a  fact  which  is  neither  memory 
nor  me,  but  of  which  I  am  at  once  a  part  and  the  whole.  The 
laws  of  the  material  universe  no  longer  bind  me.  I  float  or 
fly  without  fear  or  surprise.  The  early  dawn  of  conscious- 
ness in  the  world  seems  to  be  a  present  song,  and  all  intel- 
ligence of  things  without  the  sense  of  will  seems  mine. 
Where  man  dreams  of  that  elusive  something  he  calls  ether 
I  am  illumined  by  it;  thrilled  and  carried  aloft  with  it. 
I  delve  below  the  ocean  like  a  bird  that  flies  through  the 
air,  or  without  thought  of  harm  walk  upon  the  surface  ot* 
the  waters.  I  have  no  need  to  measure  time,  it  is  all  now. 
The  past  and  the  future  are  one  and  that  one  the  present. 
All  space  is  an  intelligible  here.  I  have  no  need  of  stimuli 
to  cortical  centers,  for  all  knowledge  seems  mine  without 
the  excitement  of  nerves  or  the  awakening  of  senses. 

"O,  when  1  am  safe  in  my  sylvan  home, 

I  tread  on  the  pride  of  Greece  and  Rome; 
And  when  I  am  stretched  beneath  the  pines. 

When  the  evening  star  so  holy  shines, 
1  laugh  at  the  lore  and  pride  of  man, 

At  the  sophists  school,  and  the  learned  clan; 
For  what  are  they  all,  in  their  high  conceit. 

When  man  in  the  bush  with  God  may  meet?" 


(The  End.) 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 

Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed. 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


8Jan52MpC 
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LOAN 
N  2  3  1966 


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